Untitled Blog Project

Emmy picks 2011

2011-09-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, my personal favorites...

Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire; Dexter; Friday Night Lights; Game of Thrones; The Good Wife; Mad Men

My vote: Sentimentally I'd favor "Friday Night Lights" since it's never won, but "Mad Men" had one of its strongest seasons and deserves to win again. (Haven't seen "Dexter," "Game of Thrones")

Should be nominated: "The Walking Dead," "In Treatment"

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law; Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights; Mireille Enos, The Killing; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

My vote: Britton because she's never won and the role of Tami Taylor should've earned her at least one by now. But if she already won, I'd be torn between Margulies and Moss. (Didn't see Bates beyond the pilot; saw less than five for Hargitay)

Should be nominated: Katey Sagal, "Sons of Anarchy"

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Hugh Laurie, House; Timothy Olyphant, Justified

My vote: Hamm all the way. (Haven't seen Hall, Laurie, Olyphant)

Should be nominated: Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife; Michelle Forbes, The Killing; Christina Hendricks, Mad Men; Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire; Margo Martindale, Justified; Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

My vote: Without seeing Martindale (who would probably get my vote), I'd go with Macdonald over the universally strong competition.

Should be nominated: Amy Ryan, "In Treatment"

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age; Alan Cumming, The Good Wife; Josh Charles, The Good Wife; Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones; Walton Goggins, Justified; John Slattery, Mad Men

My vote: Haven't seen half the contenders here (Braugher, Dinklage, Goggins) which would force me to go with Cumming, a solid but not dominant contender.

Should be nominated: Michael B. Jordan, "Friday Night Lights"; Vincent Kartheiser, "Mad Men"; Irrfan Khan, "In Treatment"; Denis O'Hare, "True Blood"

Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory; Glee; Modern Family; The Office; Parks and Recreation; 30 Rock

My vote: Easy call: "Parks and Recreation."

Should be nominated: "Bored to Death"; "Louie"

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Laura Linney, The Big C; Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

My vote: Poehler is the best part of the best comedy on TV. But Linney is nearly as good, which says a lot. (Didn't see McCarthy or Plimpton beyond their pilots)

Should be nominated: Lea Michele, "Glee"

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Louis C.K., Louie; Steve Carell, The Office; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

My vote: I wouldn't object to Carell finally winning but without seeing "The Office," I go with CK. (Haven't seen either "Big Bang" actor)

Should be nominated: Danny McBride, "Eastbound and Down"; Jason Schwartzman, "Bored to Death"

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Jane Lynch, Glee; Sofia Vergara, Modern Family; Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

My vote: Vergara.

Should be nominated: Heather Morris and Naya Rivera, "Glee"; Merrit Wever, "Nurse Jackie"

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Chris Colfer, Glee; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family; Ed O'Neill, Modern Family; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

My vote: Colfer, though my "Modern Family" vote would go to Burrell, even better in the show's second season. (Haven't seen Cryer)

Should be nominated: Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis, "Bored to Death"; Rob Lowe (foolishly submitting himself as lead) and Nick Offerman, "Parks and Recreation"

TV movie or miniseries
Cinema Verite; Downton Abbey; The Kennedys; Mildred Pierce; The Pillars of the Earth; Too Big to Fail

My vote: Richly cinematic "Mildred Pierce" over elegantly addictive "Downton" (Haven't seen "Pillars" or "Too Big"; suffered through just a partial episode of "The Kennedys")

Should be nominated: "Carlos"; "Luther"; "Sherlock"

In TV movie/mini-series acting I'd go with Edgar Ramirez ("Carlos"), Kate Winslet ("Mildred Pierce"), Guy Pearce ("Mildred Pierce") and Maggie Smith ("Downton Abbey").

Should be nominees:
Actor - Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock")
Supporting Actor - Martin Freeman ("Sherlock"); Brendan Coyle ("Downton Abbey")
Supporting Actress - Ruth Wilson ("Luther")

Oscar picks for 2010

2011-02-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

My choices for the best in 2010 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year
“Black Swan”
“Blue Valentine”
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“Inception”
“The Kids Are All Right”
*“127 Hours”
“Shutter Island”
“The Social Network”
“Toy Story 3”
“Waiting for ‘Superman’”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio in “Shutter Island”
Michael Douglas in “Solitary Man”
Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
*James Franco in “127 Hours”
Ryan Gosling in “Blue Valentine”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening in “Mother and Child”
Julianne Moore in “The Kids Are All Right”
*Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Emma Stone in “Easy A”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
Andrew Garfield in “The Social Network”
Kevin Kline in “The Extra Man”
*Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
*Kerry Washington in “Mother and Child”
Olivia Williams in “The Ghost Writer”

Best Achievement in Directing
“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
“Inception” Christopher Nolan
*“127 Hours” Danny Boyle
“Shutter Island” Martin Scorsese
“The Social Network” David Fincher

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published
“How to Train Your Dragon” screenplay by William Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
“127 Hours” screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“Shutter Island” screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis
*“The Social Network” screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” screenplay by Michael Arndt; story by John Lasseter and Andrew Staton & Lee Unkrich

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen
“Black Swan” written by Mark Heyman and Andrés Heinz and John McLaughlin
“Blue Valentine” written by Derek Cianfrance & Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis
“Inception” written by Christopher Nolan
*“The Kids Are All Right” written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
“Please Give” written by Nicole Holofcener

Best Achievement In Art Direction
“Black Swan” Thérèse DePrez, production designer; Tora Peterson, set decorator
*“Inception” Guy Hendrix Dyas, production designer; Larry Dias, Doug Mowat, set decorators
“The King’s Speech” Eve Stewart, production designer; Judy Farr, set decorator
“Shutter Island” Dante Ferretti, production designer; Francesca Lo Schiavo, set decorator
“TRON: Legacy” Darren Gilford, production designer; Lin MacDonald, set decorator

Best Achievement In Cinematography
*“Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
“Inception” Wally Pfister
“127 Hours” Enrique Chediak, Anthony Dod Mantle
“Shutter Island” Robert Richardson
“The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth

Best Achievement In Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
*“Black Swan” Amy Westcott
“Burlesque” Michael Kaplan
“Inception” Jeffrey Kurland
“The King’s Speech” Jenny Beavan

Best Achievement In Film Editing
“Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
“Blue Valentine” Jim Helton, Ron Patane
*“Inception” Lee Smith
“127 Hours” Jon Harris
“Shutter Island” Thelma Schoonmaker

Best Achievement In Makeup
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Black Swan”
*“Shutter Island”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score)
“How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
“Inception” Hans Zimmer
“Let Me In” Michael Giacchino
“127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
*“The Social Network” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song)
“Black Sheep” from “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours”
*“Shine” from “Waiting for Superman”
“Sticks & Stones” from “How to Train Your Dragon”
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from “Burlesque”

Best Achievement In Sound
“Black Swan”
*“Inception”
“127 Hours”
“Shutter Island”
“TRON: Legacy”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing
“Black Swan”
*“Inception”
“127 Hours”
“Toy Story 3”
“TRON: Legacy”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”
*“Inception”
“TRON: Legacy”

Best Feature Length Animated Film
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“Tangled”
*“Toy Story 3”

Best Foreign Language Film
*“Dogtooth” Greece
“Lebanon” Israel
“A Prophet” France
“7 Days” Canada
“Vincere” Italy

Best Documentary Film
“Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer”
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
“Inside Job”
“The Tillman Story”
*“Waiting for Superman”

Special Awards
Ensemble Cast: “Mother and Child”

Stuntwork: “Inception”

Voice Over Performance
Jay Baruchel in “How to Train Your Dragon”
Ned Beatty in “Toy Story 3”
*Steve Carell in “Despicable Me”
Mandy Moore in “Tangled”
Donna Murphy in “Tangled”

Youth Performance: Kodi Smit-McPhee in “Let Me In”

And because limiting nominees isn't enough for acting categories, honorable mentions to the following performances...

Best actor: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network); Ryan Reynolds (Buried); Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In); Stephen Dorff (Somewhere)

Best actress: Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Vincere); Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone); Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole); Hye-ja Kim (Mother)

Best supporting actor: John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone); Zach Galifianakis (It’s Kind of a Funny Story); Vincent Cassel (Black Swan); Matt Damon (True Grit)

Best supporting actress: Amanda Peet (Please Give); Elle Fanning (Somewhere); Vanessa Redgrave (Letters to Juliet); Rebecca Hall (Please Give)

Favorite albums of 2010

2011-02-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

"The ArchAndroid," Janelle Monae
"Body Talk," Robyn
"High Violet," The National
"The Lady Killer," Cee Lo Green
"My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," Kanye West
"Odd Blood," Yeasayer
"Plastic Beach," Gorillaz
"Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty," Big Boi
"The Suburbs," Arcade Fire
"Treats," Sleigh Bells

"Contra," Vampire Weekend; "This Is Happening," LCD Soundsystem; "New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh," Erykah Badu; "Record Collection," Mark Ronson & the Business Intl; "Hands," Little Boots

Oscar picks for 2009

2010-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

My choices for the best in 2009 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year:
“Funny People”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Moon”
“Ponyo”
*“Precious”
“A Single Man”
“Sugar”
“Summer Hours”
“Up in the Air”
“Where the Wild Things Are”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
*Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Matt Damon in “The Informant!”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Sam Rockwell in “Moon”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Abbie Cornish in “Bright Star”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Catalina Saavedra in “The Maid”
*Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Zach Galifianakis in “The Hangover”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christian McKay in “Me and Orson Welles”
Brad Pitt in “Inglourious Basterds”
*Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Melanie Laurent in “Inglourious Basterds”
*Mo’Nique in “Precious”
Paula Patton in “Precious”

Best Achievement in Directing:
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
*“Precious” Lee Daniels
“Summer Hours” Olivier Assayas
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman
“Where the Wild Things Are” Spike Jonze

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published:
“Coraline” screenplay by Henry Selick
*“Precious” screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“A Single Man” screenplay by Tom Ford, David Scearce
“Up in the Air” screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
“Where the Wild Things Are” screenplay by Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen:
“Funny People” written by Judd Apatow
*“Inglourious Basterds” written by Quentin Tarantino
“Moon” written by Nathan Parker, story by Duncan Jones
“Sugar” written by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
“Summer Hours” written by Olivier Assayas

Best Achievement In Art Direction:
“Avatar” Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, production designers; Kim Sinclair, set decorator
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Stuart Craig, production designer; Stephanie McMillan, set decorator
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” David Warren, Anastasia Masaro, production designers; Caroline Smith, set decorator
*“Inglourious Basterds” David Wasco, production designer; Sandy Reynolds Wasco, set decorator
“Where the Wild Things Are” K.K. Barrett, production designer; Simon McCutcheon, set decorator

Best Achievement In Cinematography:
*“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“Precious” Andrew Dunn
“A Single Man” Eduard Grau
“Where the Wild Things Are” Lance Acord

Best Achievement In Costume Design:
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Chéri” Consolata Boyle
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
*“Inglourious Basterds” Anna B. Sheppard
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Best Achievement In Film Editing:
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Moon” Nicolas Gaster
*“Precious” Joe Klotz
“A Single Man” Joan Sobel
“Up in the Air” Dana E. Glauberman

Best Achievement In Makeup:
“District 9”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
*“Star Trek”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score):
“Moon” Clint Mansell
“Ponyo” Joe Hisaishi
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
“A Single Man” Abel Korzeniowski
*“Up” Michael Giacchino

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song):
“All is Love” from “Where the Wild Things Are”
“Hideaway” from “Where the Wild Things Are”
“Only You” from “The Young Victoria”
“Somebody Else” from “Crazy Heart”
*“The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart”

Best Achievement In Sound:
*“Avatar”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing:
“2012”
*“Avatar”
“District 9”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects:
“2012”
*“Avatar”
“District 9”

Best Feature Length Animated Film: “Ponyo”
(Honorable mention: “Coraline”)

Best Foriegn Language Film:
“Afghan Star” U.K.
“The Headless Woman” Argentina
“The Maid” Chile
*“Summer Hours” France
“Thirst” South Korea

Best Documentary Film:
*“Afghan Star”
“Collapse”
“Food, Inc.”
“The Garden”
“More Than a Game”

Special Awards:
Ensemble Cast: “Precious”

Music Supervision: “Crazy Heart” / “Inglourious Basterds”

Voice Over Performance: James Gandolfini in “Where the Wild Things Are”

Youth Performance: Max Records in “Where the Wild Things Are”

Favorite albums of 2009

2010-03-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

For the, um, record...

"Fantasies," Metric
"Actor," St. Vincent
"Merriwether Post Pavilion," Animal Collective
"Revolution," Miranda Lambert
"Manners," Passion Pit
"It's Blitz!," Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"It's Not Me, It's You," Lily Allen
"Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix," Phoenix
"Tonight: Franz Ferdinand," Franz Ferdinand
"The Blueprint 3," Jay-Z

Oscar picks for 2008

2009-02-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

My choices for the best in 2008 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year:
*“The Dark Knight”
“Pineapple Express”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“The Visitor”
“WALL-E”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Clint Eastwood in “Gran Torino”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Synecdoche, New York”
*Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor”
Sean Penn in “Milk”
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Juliette Binoche in “Flight of the Red Balloon”
*Melissa Leo in “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep in “Doubt”
Michelle Williams in “Wendy and Lucy”
Kate Winslet in “The Reader”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Aaron Eckhart in “The Dark Knight”
James Franco in “Pineapple Express”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”
*Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight”
Haaz Sleiman in “The Visitor”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Hiam Abbass in “The Visitor”
*Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis in “Doubt”
Rosario Dawson in “Seven Pounds”
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler”

Best Achievement in Directing:
*“The Dark Knight” Christopher Nolan
“Pineapple Express” David Gordon Green
“Slumdog Millionaire” Danny Boyle
“The Visitor” Thomas McCarthy
“WALL-E” Andrew Stanton

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published:
“The Class” screenplay by François Bégaudeau
“The Dark Knight” screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David Goyer
“Let the Right One In” screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist
*“Slumdog Millionaire” screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
“Tell No One” screenplay by Guillaume Canet

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen:
“Pineapple Express” written by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, story by Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
“Synecdoche, New York” written by Charlie Kaufman
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” written by Woody Allen
“The Visitor” written by Thomas McCarthy
*“WALL-E” written by Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, story by Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter

Best Achievement In Art Direction:
*“The Dark Knight” Nathan Crowley, production designer; Peter Lando, set decorator
“The Fall” Ged Clarke, production designer; Riccardo Pugliese, Cynthia Sleiter, set decorators
“Slumdog Millionaire” Mark Digby, production designer; Michelle Day, set decorator
“Synecdoche, New York” Mark Friedberg, production designer; Lydia Marks, set decorator
“WALL-E” Ralph Eggleston, production designer

Best Achievement In Cinematography:
“Changeling” Tom Stern
“Che” Peter Andrews
“The Dark Knight” Wally Pfister
“Let the Right One In” Hoyte Van Hoytema
*“Slumdog Millionaire” Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Achievement In Costume Design:
“Changeling” Deborah Hopper
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Jacqueline West
“The Dark Knight” Lindy Hemming
“The Duchess” Michael O’Connor
*“The Fall” Eiko Ishioka

Best Achievement In Film Editing:
*“The Dark Knight” Lee Smith
“Let the Right One In” Tomas Alfredson, Dino Jonsäter
“Pineapple Express” Craig Alpert
“Slumdog Millionaire” Chris Dickens
“WALL-E” Stephen Schaffer

Best Achievement In Makeup:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
*“The Dark Knight”
“Synecdoche, New York”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score):
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Alexandre Desplat
“The Dark Knight” Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
“The Reader” Nico Muhly
“Slumdog Millionaire” A.R. Rahman
*“WALL-E” Thomas Newman

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song):
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E”
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
“Little Person” from “Synecdoche, New York”
“O…Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
*“The Wrestler” from “The Wrestler”

Best Achievement In Sound:
*“The Dark Knight”
“Quantum of Solace”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing:
“Cloverfield”
*“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects:
*“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Incredible Hulk”

Best Feature Length Animated Film: “WALL-E”
(Honorable mention: "$9.99")

Best Foriegn Language Film:
“The Class” France
“The Counterfeiters” Austria
*“Let the Right One In” Sweden
“Reprise” Norway
“Tell No One” France

Best Documentary Film:
“Bigger, Stronger, Faster*”
“Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father”
“Man on Wire”
“Religulous”
*“The Unforeseen”

Special Awards:
Ensemble Cast: “The Dark Knight”

Voice Over Performance: Dustin Hoffman in “Kung Fu Panda”

Youth Performance: David Kross in “The Reader”

Memo to idiotic Emmy voters

2008-07-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hour long shows can be comedies too.

This was a really strange year for TV and overall the nominations aren't terrible.

But these picks are way better.

Long time, no post

2007-06-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

I've been busy, busy, busy but I'll try to keep updating on occasion (I try to keep the sidebars fresh, if nothing else, but I need to update with some summer music including White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Mandy Moore and Rihanna).

A Top Ten TV list is a strong possibility sometime soon, hopefully before Emmy nominations.

But the most important thing right now is that there are a lot of good movies out there.

Starting with one of the best in some time: Ratatouille.

This week also brings one of Michael Moore's best efforts, Sicko, and a surprisingly satisfying sequel, Live Free or Die Hard.

Knocked Up is the only big movie so far this summer to display real box office staying power, and understandably so (although I suspect Ratatouille will change that).

A Mighty Heart, may be a mighty tough sell, especially in summer, but it's still worth seeing.

I still haven't caught up with Once, but Waitress, Away From Her and Paris je t'aime continue their deservedly charmed box office runs and Lady Chatterley is just starting out.

Even Transformers isn't horrible. A major success by Michael Bay standards.

I've been less impressed the past two months by (in descending order):
Ocean's Thirteen
La Vie en Rose
Broken English
Shrek the Third
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
1408
Nancy Drew
Bug
Evan Almighty

Summer movies

2007-05-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

Summer movie season kicks off today with Spider-Man 3 (quick review: it's more of the same for the franchise, but this time a little bit less).

I've also already seen and enjoyed Away From Her, Waitress and Paris je t'aime, which are playing in select cities and will expand through the summer. They're small and worthwhile alternatives to the bigger Hollywood offerings.

I wrote this preview a couple weeks ago, and finally found time to mention it here too.

I'm much more excited about this summer than I was about last summer but I have a hard time singling out a movie as the one I'm most looking forward to.

Last year even most of the movies I wanted to see turned out to be disappointing (and I think the only pleasant surprise was Monster House, which I didn't catch until DVD). But with appropriately sunny optimism, here are the ten movies I'm most excited about this summer (in no particular order):

favorite franchises return with The Bourne Ultimatum, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Ocean's 13;

promising Sundance titles Joshua and Rocket Science;

40 Year Old Virgin director Judd Apatow's heavily buzzed Knocked Up;

Pixar's latest, Ratatouille;

interesting actor/director combinations in A Mighty Heart (Angelina Jolie with Michael Winterbottom) and Talk to Me (Don Cheadle with Kasi Lemmons);

and Hairspray, which originally sounded like a disaster but now appears more likely to do its enjoyable forerunners (on film and stage) proud.

But honestly I even want to see Michael Bay's Transformers (oh the inevitable pain...but I can't resist) and there's something intriguing about that trailer for the Fantastic Four sequel (which could be one of two sequels I see without bothering to check out the original, since I'll almost certainly be seeing Evan Almighty).

Oh summer.

Best Idol Ever

2007-04-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

Oh happy day.

Stankjaya got the boot.

The glee on Simon's face as he realized his season-long dream coming true was priceless.

After Chris' disastrous performance I thought he'd be going home (he's been in the bottom three twice before, suggesting his fan base is weak, and he was practically as bad as lil' Stanky last night). But he didn't even hit the bottom three. Apparently America agrees with him that "nasally" is a valid form of singing...

LaKisha also seemed to be on shaky ground and was the last one standing next to He of the Demonic Grin.

But all negatives aside, now that the kid is gone I have to hope he doesn't have a life of ridicule ahead of him. The nasty side of Idol is in the way it can build people up and then toss them aside with no regard. It's not completely the show's fault, it's also Sanjaya's and his family's for deciding to enter the competition and stay in under the pressure.

Hopefully he'll just move on to a life and career outside of music. But the temptation to cash in on fame while he has it may be too much to resist. And the attempts to do so will surely be painful.

But the competition will be a lot more fun from here on. I don't think it's a coincidence Melinda and Jordin are now the only two contestants to never land in the bottom three. I think we have our final two right there (barring a Daughtry-esque elimination "shocker").

Go Doolittle!

Halle, just say "no"

2007-04-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

I kind of wish I had thought of this to say about Perfect Stranger, the new Halle Berry trainwrec...er, thriller opening today:

Life is full of choices, and Halle Berry has made another bad one with Perfect Stranger, a perfectly off-putting thriller.

But that's from Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern, via Metacritic.

I also wish I had been gutsy enough to just call it what it is, a "crappy thriller," like Lisa Schwarzbaum in EW (unfortunately I saw that quote from her before I could even think of it).

Anyway, here's my review.

And no my mind wasn't made up just because of what I wrote about this movie close to two years ago. I'm just prescient like that. (Incredibly bizarre coincidence further tying this crap to Rich Man's Wife: character actress Clea Lewis is in both, and this is her first significant live action movie since that one.)

Also, I reviewed a not quite as bad Guy Pearce thriller, First Snow, last week. That one's just boring.

In praise of The Shield

2007-04-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

The Sopranos' return to HBO was the TV event of the week (and probably the season) but one of its few true peers, FX's The Shield, is back on the air too.

I'm lucky enough to be the LA Times "showtracker" for the series and my first piece is up on the recently launched Showtracker blog.

Big fat spoilers if you've never seen The Shield, not to mention it won't mean much if you haven't, but I feel a little bit honored to be able to write about something so good. If it's not too lame to admit that.

First decent Idol results of the season

2007-04-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

Finally, one of the top 12 who really deserved to be booted actually was. Goodbye Haley, no one will miss you or your botched attempts at sex appeal.

And since Stankjaya is still seemingly Untouchable (offense intended), it was appropriate to see Phil and Chris in the bottom three.

Latin week was hideous. Country week is up next...

These Idol producers really know how to pick a theme well suited to their contestants, don't they?

Idol thoughts

2007-04-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

I’ve been silent on American Idol so far this season but it’s not because I haven’t been enjoying it. Melinda and LaKisha are terrific and Blake and Jordin help to keep the competition interesting. One exceptional, one near exceptional and two solid talents make for a more satisfying line-up than last season. With any luck they’ll be the final four…but who knows.

There is the Stankjaya problem. To give the Worst Top 12 Contestant Ever some credit: he does bring a bizarrely compelling quality of his own to the show. The producers must be watching all of this nervously. He’s pushing the limits of the any-publicity-is-good-publicity theory and his presence on the show blurs the line between the top 12 performance shows and the audition rounds like no one ever has before. All that credibility carefully cultivated by album sales, Grammy wins and even an Oscar win for former contestants could be in serious jeopardy.

Right now it’s a given that he’s going to outlast more talented people. Last week was the first time in over a month that someone significantly better wasn’t eliminated after A.J., Sabrina, Brandon and Stephanie were knocked out over the previous four weeks. And last week’s victim, Chris Sligh, didn’t start off horribly, he just fell apart under the pressure. Obviously he too should’ve outlasted Stankjaya in any normal competition.

Tonight is “standards” night and the contestants most in jeopardy have to be Phil Stacey and Haley Scarnato, who have both long outlasted their welcome (neither deserved top 12 placement). Phil did better than ever before last week but there’s no reason to think either of them have enough support to stay around much longer. Standards week could also do some damage to another mediocre contestant, Gina Glocksen, and Chris Richardson needs to avoid being boring.

I dumped even more general thoughts on the show so far into this photo gallery. And the page for the departed Chris Sligh.

Season finale, times three

2007-03-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

In an unusual coincidence, there are three season finales for quality serial dramas on TV tonight. Showtime airs the fourth season finale of The L Word, Sci Fi has the third season finale of Battlestar Galactica and HBO will run the second season (and also series) finale of Rome.

The L Word has rebounded nicely from a series-worst third season with a lighter, fresher approach driven by new relationships and evolving characters. The performances have always been the show's standout element, and this season has given Jennifer Beals another chance to shine as alternately vulnerable and narcissistic power lesbian Bette Porter, provided some of the best material yet for ace supporting actresses Katherine Moennig (who brings the drama as perpetually damaged Shane) and Leisha Hailey (who brings the comedy as sprightly social hub Alice) and enjoyably transformed Brit actress Rachel Shelley's character from vaguely villainous to a lovably neurotic mess (which gives the gorgeous Shelley an opportunity to show off considerable comedic skills).

And the show added a couple of recognizable TV faces: Marlee Matlin fits in perfectly as a new love interest for Bette, while Cybill Shepherd feels more like stunt casting as Bette's colleague who comes out as a lesbian late in life. Foxy guest star Kristanna Loken and welcome new addition Rose Rollins have also delivered this season, helping to make The L Word good soapy fun and more entertaining, if not necessarily better, than ever.

Rome, on the other hand, has had a difficult time matching the sharpness of its first season. It's still an addictive adult pleasure but the storylines were a little flabbier this time around, especially for former Centurions Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson). And the political intrigue of Mark Antony vs. Gaius Octavian (who will become Caesar Augustus) hasn't quite matched the compelling first season arc of Julius Caesar. But the ensemble cast is still effective and the knowledge that this would be the show's final season seems to have encouraged the producers to knock off key characters with ruthless efficiency. Someone seemed to die in practically every episode (of course history may have necessitated much of that as well). In an encouraging sign for tonight's finale, Rome's most recent episode was also the season's best. The excellent hour finally brought together Antony and Cleopatra and set the stage for a war between Antony and Octavian. Chances are good this unusual series will end on a high note.

The only one of tonight's finales that I've already seen is Battlestar Galactica's, and considering the show is the best of these three I'm betting this exceptional season ender is also the highlight of what's airing tonight.

Battlestar is known for thrilling cliffhanger endings and what happens tonight will change the series' world as much as last season's jump into the future. Nearly every major character reaches a turning point and the show furthers the season's mystery involving previously unseen Cylons. Battlestar has had its roughest season yet, with too many self-contained episodes in place of its usual compelling story arcs and not enough material for some key players including Mary McDonnell's President Roslin and Tricia Helfer's Cylon Number Six. But even when it's weaker, Battlestar remains one of TV's top hours. And when it's really on its game, as it has been for the past three weeks and continues to be tonight, it's a prime example of just how good serial television can be.

Lots of reviews

2007-03-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

Just a bunch of links to what I've been writing the past few weeks:

Two very good foreign films, The Lives of Others (one of my favorite films of last year) and The Host, and one much less interesting, Avenue Montaigne.

Two of today's wide releases: Pride and TMNT.

Finally, last week I wrote reviews of Chris Rock's latest, I Think I Love My Wife, and a Sundance prize winning documentary that hasn't done much business, God Grew Tired of Us.

FX rebounds with The Riches

2007-03-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight's premiere of The Riches on FX couldn't arrive any sooner. The "edgy" cable network still has its most recent misfire on the air, and they haven't launched a successful hour since Rescue Me which is about to enter its fourth season. With The Shield's latest season still nearly a month away from launch there's a serious lack of quality at the network right now. I'm not sure The Riches has what it takes to become a ratings juggernaut but at least the pilot is good, and suggests the start of something worth paying attention to.

The show is a strange creation, even for a boundary-pushing network like FX. Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver star as the heads of a family who live out of their camper, roaming from town to town stealing for a living. It's a gypsy lifestyle and from what we learn in the pilot it's also how Driver's character was raised. But when the family gets an opportunity for a fresh start they take it.

The closest comparison for The Riches on TV today is HBO's Big Love, which also looks at an American family with circumstances so unique they might as well be from another planet and their awkward relationship with society at large. The basic set-up of a family assuming new identities recalls The CW's instant flop Runaway, while Izzard and Driver appear primed to play out the kind of complicated relationship full of moral ambiguities that Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen were robbed of when CBS rudely yanked fall's promising crime drama Smith. Like the latter two shows The Riches wouldn't have a prayer on network TV, but like Big Love it has the opportunity to speak to an appreciative niche audience while making the most of the creative freedom cable provides.

There's plenty of naughty language, some violence and a little sex in the show's pilot but unlike some other FX shows The Riches doesn't seem eager to abuse its freedoms and "push the envelope" just for shock value. The characters are more than enough to grab viewers' attention.

The Riches will air Mondays at 10 on FX with repeats throughout the week and the pilot is available to watch anytime this week on Yahoo! TV.

Four good movies and one overhyped surefire hit

2007-03-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

Several good films have hit theaters over the past few weeks, but they're all getting trounced at the box office by garbage-y looking bigger product like Norbit, Ghost Rider and Wild Hogs.

The Astronaut Farmer is a quirky inspirational drama that deserved a wider audience, while Zodiac and Breach—two adult dramas based on true events—have performed a little better but are still posting only modest grosses.

Black Snake Moan faced the double dishonor of undeservedly harsh reviews and a poor opening weekend. I think audiences would be pleasantly surprised if only they'd give the woman-in-chains drama a chance. Samuel L. Jackson's performance is worthy of an Oscar nomination (not that it will ever come).

But this weekend's #1 movie will obviously be 300, which is at least a step up in quality from the rest of the year's box office chart toppers. The graphic novel adaptation has generated a lot of buzz, especially online, for the heavily CGI visuals used to tell the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors held off considerably more Persian adversaries.

I originally saw 300 before any of the films mentioned above and at the time I was really hoping for the year's first good film. Director Zack Snyder previously did an unexpectedly great job with the Dawn of the Dead remake and advance footage looked promising.

But 300 is too flawed to even be called good, let alone great. Pitiful dialogue, underscored by obnoxious voiceover, and a horribly misguided politically driven subplot are just two of the problems. Even more troubling is how seriously this campy action spectacle ultimately takes itself. It aspires to the faux-heroic inspirational vibe of Gladiator and Braveheart, which adds an unwelcome pretentiousness that defeats the movie's guiltier pleasures.

There's definitely fun to be had in many of the battle scenes with their over-the-top visuals and Snyder clearly enjoys bringing some of comic book legend Frank Miller's more outlandish images to the screen—I still have no idea how that's actually Rodrigo Santoro (the new guy on Lost/Laura Linney's Love Actually love interest) as ten foot tall Persian king, and self made god, Xerxes.

Gerard Butler also makes for a great leading man as Spartan King Leonidas, bringing the right amounts of humor and charisma to the role. Unfortunately, he's alone in that.

I'm still cautiously optimistic about Zack Snyder's future, but hopefully next time he'll direct a better screenplay and only take the story as seriously as it deserves.

Lost lessons

2007-03-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Lost was much improved last night, the turnaround from an all time low last week to one of the season's best this week was dazzling. (Of course being one of the "best" in a mediocre season isn't much to celebrate, but I think it's all that can reasonably be expected from the show anymore.)

Top three reasons why:

1) John Locke. Don't the writers understand this is their best character? And unlike Hurley or Sawyer he's worth including in every episode.

2) A backstory that was well acted, well written and actually meant something for the episode. Plus, Sayid is probably the show's second best character.

3) I was able to fast forward through the handful of Sawyer scenes. I only watched the first scene for Sun & Jin and the entertainingly awful new characters.

Tracking Heroes, Lost

2007-03-06T23:43:00.000-08:00

I wrote an item on Monday's episode of Heroes for the new LA Times TV feature Showtracker. It's very spoiler heavy, so if you watch and haven't seen the latest episode yet you'll want to steer clear. But it's really the first piece I've written specifically for LA Times, so that's exciting.

And in anticipation of this week's new episode of Lost I'd recommend this recap of last week's staggeringly awful hour (the writer happens to be really talented and beautiful but that's not my only reason for liking it).

The episode was such an unnecessary tangent, at such an inopportune time, I really think it might be the single worst Lost episode to date. That's quite an achievement considering previous pointless hours wasted on Sawyer, Kate, Hurley and Charlie. The next two weeks supposedly focus on Sayid and Claire and will hopefully give me a reason to keep watching without feeling like a complete masochist.

Oscar picks

2007-03-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

The Academy had their say last weekend, but here's what I'd select for the top film achievements of 2006.

With the caveat that I have yet to see: Running with Scissors, The Good German, The Illusionist, Sweet Land, Old Joy, Factotum, Fast Food Nation, Find Me Guilty, Kinky Boots, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Infamous, Miami Vice and some significant foreign films including Curse of the Golden Flower, Clean, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Water, Duck Season, Three Times and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.

I also haven't seen enough of the contenders to properly consider a feature length documentary or animated film category (though right now I'd go along with Oscar's choices in each—An Inconvenient Truth and Happy Feet).

Ensemble Cast
The Dead Girl
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Friends with Money
The Good Shepherd

A category Oscar doesn't have, but might as well. There were several high quality ensemble-driven films released last year and all of my choices were brimming with talent, even in small roles.

Winner: Dreamgirls

Foreign Language Film
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Tsotsi
Volver

It's impossible to consider this category the same way Oscar does, with one submission each from countries worldwide. I'll just stick to films in a foreign language released during 2006. That gives me two films nominated in Oscar's corresponding category (Lives and Pan's), one that should've been (Volver), last year's Oscar winner (Tsotsi) and a Best Picture nominee (Letters).

Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Adapted Screenplay
Casino Royale
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Little Children

Not exactly the strongest year on record in this category, nothing against my top choice or runner-up Little Children.

Winner: The Departed

Original Screenplay
The Lives of Others
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen
Stranger Than Fiction
Volver

Only one American screenplay in this mix, it was a year for foreign product to shine.

Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Best Supporting Actor
Sergi López (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Michael Sheen (The Queen)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)

Yes, I do consider Oscar's Best Actor a supporting player, but a worthy nominee in any case. There were a few other strong contenders for this list but that only includes Little Children's Jackie Earle Haley from Oscar's selections.

Winner: Michael Sheen (The Queen)

Best Supporting Actress
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Vera Farmiga (The Departed)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Emma Thompson (Stranger Than Fiction)
Kerry Washington (The Dead Girl)

The year's most competitive category, in addition to two other actresses from The Dead Girl—Marcia Gay Harden and Mary Beth Hurt—performances I'm forced to omit, despite their worthiness, are Maribel Verdú (Pan’s Labyrinth), Carmen Maura (Volver), Juliette Binoche (Breaking and Entering), Adrianna Barazza (Babel), Frances de la Tour (The History Boys), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Stranger Than Fiction and World Trade Center), Eva Green (Casino Royale) and Frances McDormand (Friends with Money).

Winner: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)

Best Actress
Penélope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Gretchen Mol (The Notorious Bettie Page)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)

Oscar got this one just about right, it was pretty difficult to ignore the incredible work of Cruz, Dench, Mirren and Winslet. Mol was the one who slipped through the cracks in a low-grossing indie released early in the year, but her performance was charming and touching, every bit the equal of those other four leading ladies. Still, Oscar got the winner right too.

Winner: Helen Mirren (The Queen)

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction)
Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
Ulrich Mühe (The Lives of Others)
Patrick Wilson (Little Children)

Oh the pain, the unfortunate blunder, of DiCaprio's Oscar nomination for the wrong film. That goof cost the Academy the opportunity to recognize the performance of the year. And so Gosling became the most deserving nominee while Wilson remained Little Children's most undervalued player, Mühe languished in foreign language obscurity and Ferrell found little respect for his dialed-down delivery of the year's best comedic performance.

Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)

Best Director
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others)
George Miller (Happy Feet)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)

As much as I'd like to throw a curveball in here, I can't omit any of the directors of my five favorite films. Each demonstrated an equally strong command of actors, craft and storytelling. If I could consider two films in one then Clint Eastwood would have to make the cut for the combination of Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.

Winner: Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)

Best Picture
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Happy Feet
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth

Yep, they're still my favorites.

Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

And technical categories...

Art Direction/Production Design
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
Pan’s Labyrinth
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Cinematography
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters From Iwo Jima
Pan’s Labyrinth

Winner: Children of Men

Costume Design
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Marie Antoinette
The Notorious Bettie Page
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Winner: Dreamgirls

Editing
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Inside Man
Little Children

Winner: The Departed

Make-Up
The Hills Have Eyes
Pan’s Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Original Score
The Lives of Others
The Painted Veil
Pan’s Labyrinth
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Volver

Winner: The Painted Veil

Original Song
The Book I Write (Stranger Than Fiction)
Call the Law (Idlewild)
I Need To Wake Up (An Inconvenient Truth)
Listen (Dreamgirls)
Song of the Heart (Happy Feet)

I scrapped this category last year due to a lack of worthy contenders (or at least my inability to find them) but it's dramatically different this year. I even had to leave things off this list. Not just the other Oscar nominated Dreamgirls songs (which are solid in the film but a bit thin outside of it), but even better tracks like: Sheryl Crow's Cars contribution "Real Gone"; "In the End," the rousing closing number from indie Shortbus; and Ben Folds' gentle lullaby "Still" from Over the Hedge (a film I've yet to see).

Winner: Listen (Dreamgirls)

Visual Effects
Charlotte’s Web
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Superman Returns

Winner: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Good show

2007-02-25T23:55:00.000-08:00

So, Martin Scorsese and Helen Mirren finally win and it's now officially easier to win an Oscar if you were on American Idol than it is if you were on Saturday Night Live.

I don't have a whole lot to say, I sort of caught the show in bits and pieces between working on a couple of show photo galleries for work. I did catch Ellen's opening monologue and the presentations for most of the major awards. Any time an interpretive dance number started I immediately went back to work (is the show's producer Laura Ziskin responsible for that dumb decision?).

No major complaints on the winners. I was 15 out of 21 with my predictions (missing supporting actor, animated film, foreign language film, cinematography, costume design and original score) and none of the predicted winners really bothered me, nor do any of my non-predicted winners.

Pan's Labyrinth's loss to The Lives of Others for foreign film is ok considering Pan's won three awards overall and this gives some attention to the worthy German film. And although I wish I had stuck with my gut and predicted Happy Feet for its eventual animated film win I'm much happier predicting it wouldn't win only to see it win rather than vice versa.

I liked Jennifer Hudson's emotional speech the best but Helen Mirren and Martin Scorsese (and his longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker) also chose their words wisely.

Al Gore and Melissa Etheridge were in a league of their own, reminding viewers of something considerably more meaningful than a silly awards show. To paraphrase both: they weren't making political statements, they were making moral statements.

Ellen seemed to do a nice job, the original song performances didn't sound too dull and there were classy presentations for several categories (the models for costume design; the screenplay excerpts; etc.).

And, in a nice change of pace from last year, this time the best picture actually won. I can't ask for much more than that.

Oscar predictions 2007

2007-02-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

I feel a little tapped out on Oscar writing after this piece, which includes predictions on who/what will win and thoughts on who/what I think should win in the categories of Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography and Foreign Language Film. I tried to be fair to a variety of viewpoints in what "should" have been nominated for Best Picture, otherwise the commentary represents how I feel.

But anyway here's a quick rundown of all the categories (except the short films):

Best Picture
Babel; The Departed; Letters From Iwo Jima; Little Miss Sunshine; The Queen

It really is a wide open race this year. But Sunshine seems too small, too minor to be widely considered a "Best Picture." Letters From Iwo Jima simply hasn't made enough money. Babel hasn't made much more than Iwo Jima. The Queen is a darkhorse but a victory would still seem like an upset. The Departed is the only choice that really makes sense. But without a frontrunner it's logical to believe that the votes will be spread out among all five contenders and the winner could have less total votes than any other Best Picture in years.

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio; Ryan Gosling; Peter O'Toole; Will Smith; Forest Whitaker

I think respect for Whitaker's performance among the people who vote on these things has only increased with each award he's won. He's never exactly felt like the sure thing he's turned out to be every step of the way, and that's prevented any feeling that he peaked too soon.

Best Actress
Penélope Cruz; Judi Dench; Helen Mirren; Meryl Streep; Kate Winslet

Mirren has never won an Oscar and she's only been nominated twice before. So even if it feels like she's always winning awards this has been a long time coming. And it's well deserved.

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin; Jackie Earle Haley; Djimon Hounsou; Eddie Murphy; Mark Wahlberg

A real toss-up, even though it shouldn't be. Murphy is the true standout. Is it really possible voters won't take him seriously to such a degree they'd consider voting for Mark Wahlberg?? Arkin seems the likely victor in case of a Murphy loss. Haley and Hounsou, the two actors besides Murphy to actually have roles of substance in their films, seem to be out of the running.

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza; Cate Blanchett; Abigail Breslin; Jennifer Hudson; Rinko Kikuchi

Still Hudson's to lose. But if enough voters don't like the thought of a reality show contestant winning an Oscar (for a role where she sings more than she acts, the nerve!!) maybe Barraza will pull an upset. Thankfully she'll probably lose a lot of votes to her co-star. The real question: will we ever see any of the nominees not named Cate Blanchett in an award worthy role again?

Best Director
Clint Eastwood; Stephen Frears; Paul Greengrass; Alejandro González Iñárritu; Martin Scorsese

Scorsese. Yes, it will finally happen. Winning is about timing and luck more than talent, but it's nice to know he's also the most worthy of this group.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Borat; Children of Men; The Departed; Little Children; Notes On a Scandal

It's not even a fair fight for The Departed here.

Best Original Screenplay
Babel; Letters From Iwo Jima; Little Miss Sunshine; Pan's Labyrinth; The Queen

Little Miss Sunshine. This should be more competitive than it probably will be.

Best Animated Film
Cars; Happy Feet; Monster House

Do I go with my head or my heart? Since Oscar voters aren't known for valuing quality above all else I'll say Cars, the least worthy of the nominees, with its Pixar cred. But I hope I'm wrong.

Best Documentary
Deliver Us From Evil; An Inconvenient Truth; Iraq in Fragments; Jesus Camp; My Country, My Country

An Inconvenient Truth losing would be one of the biggest upsets possible.

Best Foreign Language Film
After the Wedding (Denmark); Days of Glory (Algeria); The Lives of Others (Germany); Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico); Water (Canada)

As great as The Lives of Others is, I really hope Pan's Labyrinth isn't snubbed here.

Best Original Song
"I Need to Wake Up" (An Inconvenient Truth); "Listen" (Dreamgirls); "Love You I Do" (Dreamgirls); "Our Town" (Cars); "Patience" (Dreamgirls)

The trio of Dreamgirls performances should be fun to watch, but even though Listen is critical to the movie's creative success there is stiff competition from I Need to Wake Up, and that one isn't competing with two other songs from the same movie.

Best Art Direction
Dreamgirls; The Good Shepherd; Pan's Labyrinth; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; The Prestige

The imagination of Pan's Labyrinth should pay off.

Best Cinematography
The Black Dahlia; Children of Men; The Illusionist; Pan's Labyrinth; The Prestige

Boy, is it still hard to swallow The Black Dahlia as an Oscar nominee, no matter what illustrious credits the cinematographer has in his distant past. Luckily Children of Men should have no trouble taking this home.

Best Costume Design
Curse of the Golden Flower; The Devil Wears Prada; Dreamgirls; Marie Antoinette; The Queen

Marie Antoinette is lavish and Prada's contemporary clothes help drive the "plot" but Dreamgirls has the style and the substance.

Best Editing
Babel; Blood Diamond; Children of Men; The Departed; United 93

Babel is this year's Crash, which won the category last year. And United 93 is pretty showy in editing as well. But The Departed should win, especially if it's on its way to Best Picture.

Best Original Score
Babel; The Good German; Notes On a Scandal; Pan's Labyrinth; The Queen

Having not seen The Good German yet (or heard its score) I'm not quite sure what I'm missing. Babel and The Queen would seem to have a leg up as Best Picture nominees but I'll stand by the haunting music of Pan's Labyrinth.

Best Visual Effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; Poseidon; Superman Returns

Pirates of the Caribbean. The year's biggest movie wins an Oscar.

Best Makeup
Apocalypto; Click; Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth. The year's best movie shouldn't have any trouble winning this Oscar.

Best Sound
Apocalypto; Blood Diamond; Dreamgirls; Flags of Our Fathers; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Dreamgirls

Best Sound Editing
Apocalypto; Blood Diamond; Flags of Our Fathers; Letters From Iwo Jima; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Letters From Iwo Jima

If you're keeping track, that's four for The Departed, Dreamgirls and Pan's Labyrinth. Two for An Inconvenient Truth. And no more than one for anything else.

Good girl, bad girl

2007-02-16T22:11:00.000-08:00

Two new reviews this week, both limited releases from 2006 expanding a bit: The Dead Girl, a runner-up to my top ten, and the execrable Factory Girl.

Top Ten Films of 2006

2007-02-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

Since it's already February it's about time to finally get to this...a look back at 2006. I've had this list in mind since the end of the year but real life has a way of interfering with blogging.

One positive about the delay: it should be easier to find some of the films on this list in nationwide release now (and a few have hit, or are about to hit, DVD). 2006 was not always a great year for moviegoing but a rush of last minute high quality product helped change that. Unfortunately a lot of those titles did not immediately turn up in theaters across the country. Some are still waiting on a wider release.

But whether a film plays on 4 screens or 4000, for one week or six months, I'll take quality anywhere I can find it.

Honorable mentions:

Alfonso Cuarón’s expertly crafted sci-fi think piece Children of Men

The latest successful change of pace for Marc Forster, Stranger Than Fiction, a character-driven comedy with a strong cast led by Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson

Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center and Paul Greengrass’ United 93, two films that struck the perfect tone and style to tell their specific stories of September 11 and will hopefully embolden other talented filmmakers to contribute to the cinematic historical record

Spike Lee’s first true genre film, Inside Man, which is also the latest of his rewarding collaborations with Denzel Washington

I also have high regard for: a pair of action movies done right—Casino Royale and Mission: Impossible III; The Dead Girl, which has the feel of five fascinating short stories captured on film; the refreshing romantic comedy The Holiday; crude but funny TV refugee Borat; two thematically provocative examinations of real women, one—The Queen—universally praised and the other—The Notorious Bettie Page—unjustly overlooked; and The Good Shepherd, an ambitious spy saga that evolves into moving personal drama.

In addition, I’d like to note the more modest achievements of Akeelah and the Bee, Shortbus, Shut Up and Sing, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Little Miss Sunshine, Wordplay and Friends with Money among others. Also worth a special mention: David Lynch’s unclassifiable Inland Empire, destined to alienate many more viewers than it will ever captivate. Just consider yourself lucky if you fall under its strange spell.

The Top Ten:

10. Half Nelson

9. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

8. Little Children

7. Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima

6. Volver

5. The Lives of Others

4. Happy Feet

3. Dreamgirls

2. The Departed

1. Pan’s Labyrinth

The weekend's #1 movie

2007-02-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

is The Messengers, which I saw and reviewed on opening day. There's nothing notable about it.

Friday movies

2007-01-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

The good news is that a lot of Oscar nominees are expanding this weekend: Pan's Labyrinth, The Queen, Volver and Letters From Iwo Jima are all adding screens, Dreamgirls is still in wide release and The Departed is getting a full on re-release.

The bad news is there are new movies opening as well. I've reviewed Catch and Release and Blood and Chocolate. Smokin' Aces isn't supposed to be much better and Epic Movie, which surely is what it is, didn't screen for critics.

How I Did

2007-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

Best Picture
Four out of five (Babel, The Departed, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen)

Dreamgirls obviously missed out and Letters From Iwo Jima, which I had as an alternate, got in.

Best Director
Four out of five (Clint Eastwood, Stephen Frears, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Martin Scorsese)

I thought Bill Condon might be vulnerable but I never would’ve predicted Dreamgirls missing Best Picture, which makes his absence here more understandable. My alternate pick Paul Greengrass (United 93) was the token nominee of a film not up for Best Picture.

Best Actor
Three and a half out of five (Peter O’Toole, Will Smith, Forest Whitaker…Leonardo DiCaprio)

Both of my alternates scored instead. Thankfully Ryan Gosling got in but Sacha Baron Cohen did not. And I had the right actor but wrong film (just like Oscar) for DiCaprio’s nomination.

Best Actress
Five for five (Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet)

Best Supporting Actor
Three out of five (Alan Arkin, Jackie Earle Haley, Eddie Murphy)

I had Departed’s Jack Nicholson and Queen’s Michael Sheen but Blood Diamond’s Djimon Hounsou, an alternate pick, and Departed’s Mark Whalberg, who I mentioned but didn’t believe in, made the cut.

Best Supporting Actress
Four out of five (Adriana Barraza, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Hudson, Rinko Kikuchi)

Alternate pick Abigail Breslin happily made it in instead of Prada’s Emily Blunt.

Best Original Screenplay
Four out of five (Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Queen)

Alternate pick Letters From Iwo Jima (stronger than I expected overall) was nominated, United 93 was not.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Four out of five (Children of Men, The Departed, Little Children, Notes on a Scandal)

Common sense prevailed and The Devil Wears Prada’s script is not nominated. I predicted the wrong token nomination for Borat, which turned up here instead of Best Actor.

Best Animated Film
Three for three (Cars, Happy Feet, Monster House)

Thankfully. Now let’s see the penguins take down Pixar!

Best Documentary (Feature Length)
Three for five (Deliver Us From Evil, An Inconvenient Truth, Iraq in Fragments)

I had Jesus Camp as an alternate. My Country, My Country is the fifth nominee.

Best Foreign Language Film
Four for five (Days of Glory, The Lives of Others, Pan’s Labyrinth, Water)

Denmark’s After the Wedding made it in but Spain’s Volver, ludicrously, did not.

Best Art Direction/Production Design
Three for five (Dreamgirls, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pirates of the Caribbean)

I thought Children of Men and Marie Antoinette would pop up here but instead nominations went to The Good Shepherd (the only nom for a very solid film) and The Prestige.

Best Cinematography
Three for five (Children of Men, The Illusionist, Pan’s Labyrinth)

Not a single Best Picture in the running in this category. I thought Babel and Dreamgirls would crack the list but instead: Cinematographers’ Guild nominee The Black Dahlia and relative surprise The Prestige.

Best Costume Design
Four out of five (Curse of the Golden Flower, The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, Marie Antoinette)

I had The Queen as an alternate, which made the list over my prediction Pan’s Labyrinth.

Best Editing
Three out of five (Babel, The Departed, United 93)

Surprisingly light on Best Picture nominees. I thought Dreamgirls and Little Miss Sunshine would make it in but nominations instead went to “thoughtful” action films Blood Diamond and Children of Men.

Best Makeup
Two out of three (Apocalypto, Pan’s Labyrinth)

Ok so maybe the makeup in Click is really good, because it landed a nomination over the showy Pirates of the Caribbean. I don’t really want to find out.

Best Score
Two out of five (Babel, The Good German)

I had the right composers but the wrong films for two of the nominations: Philip Glass was nominated for Notes on a Scandal not The Illusionist, and Alexandre Desplat for The Queen and not his superior work on The Painted Veil. Both were my alternates. I really can’t say what possessed me to predict The Da Vinci Code over actual nominee Pan’s Labyrinth (easily one of the year’s great scores).

Best Song
Three out of five (Cars, Dreamgirls, An Inconvenient Truth)

All three Dreamgirls songs made it in but only one was an alternate pick for me. It might be a bad omen that Happy Feet missed out here, but it’s a good thing that Bobby couldn’t get a single nomination.

Best Sound
Four out of five (Blood Diamond, Dreamgirls, Flags of Our Fathers, Pirates of the Caribbean)

I predicted Babel but Apocalypto made it in.

Best Sound Editing
Three out of five (Apocalypto, Flags of Our Fathers, Pirates of the Caribbean)

Blood Diamond and Letters From Iwo Jima are also nominated in the other hotly contested sound category. (Not having a clue what I was doing, I predicted Cars and The Departed.)

Best Visual Effects
Two out of three (Pirates of the Caribbean, Superman Returns)

I thought Poseidon would be too clunky and trashy to nominate. I was wrong. And Casino Royale, which I incorrectly predicted, was completely shut out today.

Overall: 70 out of 99, or 71%. Counting the alternates: 83 out of 99, 84%.

Just watch the SAGs instead...

2007-01-23T06:27:00.000-08:00

Today's Oscar acting nominees match the Screen Actors Guild nominations EXACTLY with the lone exception of Leonardo DiCaprio's "supporting" nomination for The Departed, replaced at the Oscars with his co-star Mark Wahlberg. zzzz...

I'm torn...

2007-01-23T06:10:00.000-08:00

The Good:
Abigail Breslin nominated for Best Supporting Actress
Ryan Gosling nominated for Best Actor
Letters From Iwo Jima (a deserving film) nominated for Best Picture and Director
The Devil Wears Prada NOT nominated for Screenplay (or anything besides Streep and costumes)
Six nominations for Pan's Labyrinth
Dreamgirls getting the most nominations overall
Expected nominations for The Departed, Martin Scorsese, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Forest Whitaker, Jackie Earl Haley, Happy Feet, The Lives of Others

The Bad:
Leonardo DiCaprio nominated for Blood Diamond instead of The Departed
Dreamgirls' exclusion from the top categories (Picture & Director)
Volver not nominated for anything besides Penelope Cruz (including foreign film)
Mark Wahlberg as The Departed's ONLY acting nominee
Michael Sheen failing to be recognized for The Queen
The Black Dahlia is an Oscar nominee (for cinematography)
Poseidon is an Oscar nominee (for visual effects)

Those are pretty bad, especially the first four.

I still believe this is The Departed's Best Picture to lose. But Babel is now the most nominated Best Picture (7 nominations vs Departed's 5...The Queen has 6, Sunshine and Iwo Jima have 4). Only Babel and The Departed are nominated in the "key" Best Editing category. The dynamic has really changed. And sadly I think the race is a lot less interesting without Dreamgirls.

Oscar nominee predictions 2006

2007-01-21T23:47:00.000-08:00

Oscar nominations are due out Tuesday morning, so it's annual prediction time.

It's really difficult to predict how Clint Eastwood's one-two punch of Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima will factor in to this year's race. Will the films cancel each other out, since neither one really took off on their own at the box office?

Other wildcards include the 9/11 films (can Oliver Stone really make a Sept. 11 movie that gets zero nominations?) and box office underperformers like Blood Diamond, Bobby, The Good German and The Painted Veil. They should be shut out of major categories but are they doomed to go unrecognized entirely?

For "historical" context: last year's predictions, and how I did.

Best Picture
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Alternates: Letters From Iwo Jima, United 93

There's not much guessing involved here. The Producers Guild and Directors Guild both selected these five nominees. Anything else would be a big upset. (Incidentally Little Miss Sunshine won the top prize from the Producers Guild this weekend. Not a bad sign but not a major harbinger of things to come either: six out of the last ten winners went on to win Best Picture but the last two winners, Brokeback Mountain and The Aviator, did not.)

Best Director
Bill Condon (Dreamgirls)
Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima)
Stephen Frears (The Queen)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel)
Martin Scorsese (The Departed)

Alternates: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), Paul Greengrass (United 93)

The Sunshine team managed a nomination from the Directors Guild and that's impressive but I don't think Picture and Director will match 5/5 this year. Bill Condon also, unfortunately, feels vulnerable. Children of Men's Alfonso Cuaron is a hotly championed contender, but this is a year overflowing with possibilities.

Best Actor
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat)
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed)
Peter O'Toole (Venus)
Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)

Alternates: Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)

Is Borat too big a sensation to ignore? And Half Nelson too small a movie to make an impact? That's what I'm thinking right now. But I'm most anxious over what voters decided to do about DiCaprio's double duty.

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz (Volver)
Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)
Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)
Kate Winslet (Little Children)

I'm not even going to bother with alternates. Maybe in another year Annette Bening (Running with Scissors), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby) and even Beyonce (Dreamgirls) would've had a shot. But this year anyone other than these five would be a big surprise.

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Jackie Earl Haley (Little Children)
Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Jack Nicholson (The Departed)
Michael Sheen (The Queen)

Alternates: Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond), Brad Pitt (Babel)

The most frustrating category to predict. Only Eddie Murphy was on both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild lists. I'm going on a limb by predicting Sheen, who has been ignored so far. I'm not sold on Arkin but I'm not sure who else to turn to. Pitt's star power, and the relative popularity of his film, could serve him well but I still believe the performance is underwhelming. And Golden Globe nominee Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) is a popular contender, but his part is so small...not that that hurt William Hurt last year.

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza (Babel)
Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)
Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel)

Alternates: Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine)

Everyone here seems like a lock except Blunt, who I'm predicting will upset the Sunshine contenders (though I'd much prefer a nom for Breslin). Shoulda-beens like Emma Thompson (Stranger Than Fiction), Vera Farmiga (The Departed) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (World Trade Center) have been ignored in awards leading up to this. And Catherine O'Hara (For Your Consideration) got some critical support but her movie is weak, and forgotten at this point.

Best Original Screenplay
Babel
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen
United 93

Alternates: Letters From Iwo Jima, Volver

I want to work in Volver, Almodovar could develop into a perennial Oscar pick the way Woody Allen was for awhile, but I'm not sure what to drop. Stranger Than Fiction got a Writers Guild nom but I'm afraid it will have to make due with just that.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Children of Men
The Departed
The Devil Wears Prada
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal

Alternates: Dreamgirls, Thank You For Smoking

A tough, strange category. The Departed is clearly a lock but beyond that...Little Children isn't a very popular film and the other three scripts, frankly, aren't that great. But genre will probably hold back Dreamgirls. I'm skeptical of Smoking but it earned a Writers Guild nom. So did Borat, in this category, so I assume Oscar voters will have to consider it here. There's also The Last King of Scotland, co-scripted by a hot writer of the moment (Peter Morgan, who also wrote The Queen).

Best Animated Film
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

Alternates: Flushed Away, Over the Hedge

DreamWorks muscle might be enough to push in Hedge. Fondness for Aardman could do the trick with Flushed.

Best Documentary (Feature Length)
Deliver Us From Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq in Fragments
Jonestown: The Life and Death of People's Temple
The War Tapes

Alternates: Jesus Camp, Shut Up & Sing

Beyond Inconvenient Truth, the likely winner, I'm just guessing really, but I'd like to see Shut Up & Sing actually make the cut.

Best Foreign Language Film
Days of Glory (Algeria)
The Lives of Others (Germany)
Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico)
Volver (Spain)
Water (Canada)

Alternates: Avenue Montaigne (France), Black Book (Netherlands)

This category had a "semi-final" round this year and only nine films made it in. Denmark's After the Wedding and Switzerland's Vitus (the only one I'd never heard of) are also in the running. There are only 30 people total voting on this category...that could be dangerous.

Best Art Direction/Production Design
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Alternates: Babel, Curse of the Golden Flower

I also buy into predictions for Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, The Good German, Apocalypto and The Queen.

Best Cinematography
Babel
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
The Illusionist
Pan's Labyrinth

Alternates: The Departed, The Good Shepherd

It'd be nice to see one of Eastwood's films represented here but this category had the strangest corresponding Guild nominations of the year. I don't believe the Oscar list will be so removed from the Best Picture contenders.

Best Costume Design
Curse of the Golden Flower
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
Pan's Labyrinth

Alternates: The Illusionist, The Queen

Can Prada buck the preference for period work by using clothes to drive the story? Who cares really? A nomination for Little Miss Sunshine would be a lot more fun. Other period contenders include Bobby, The Good German, Miss Potter, The Painted Veil, The Prestige and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Best Editing
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
United 93

Alternates: Letters From Iwo Jima, The Queen

Brokeback Mountain's failure to land a nomination here last year turned out to be a warning sign of the foul play yet to come. So watch this one closely.

Best Makeup
Apocalypto
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Alternates: The Prestige, X-Men: The Last Stand

The only other films qualified are Click and The Santa Clause 3. I feel pretty confident in my three choices.

Best Score
Babel
The Da Vinci Code
The Good German
The Illusionist
The Painted Veil

Alternates: Notes on a Scandal, The Queen

Philip Glass is responsible for Notes and Illusionist and Alexandre Desplat is behind Painted and Queen. So either, or both, could easily be double nominees. I was also thinking of Apocalyto and Volver here.

Best Song
I Need to Wake Up (An Inconvenient Truth)
Listen (Dreamgirls)
Never Gonna Break My Faith (Bobby)
Our Town (Cars)
Song of the Heart (Happy Feet)

Alternates: Patience (Dreamgirls), Til the End of Time (Little Miss Sunshine)

Ugh, this category is always frustrating. It could wind up with less than five nominees, like last year. Voters could show an unexpected fondness for indie rock and go for the Sunshine song, especially since it's a Picture contender. Dreamgirls has one other original song: Love You I Do. Sheryl Crow has songs from both Cars (Real Gone) and the instant-disaster Home of the Brave (Try Not to Remember). I also feel like mentioning Ordinary Miracle from Charlotte's Web and O Kazakhstan from Borat as potential spoilers.

Best Sound
Babel
Blood Diamond
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Alternates: Casino Royale, The Departed

Best Sound Editing
Apocalypto
Cars
The Departed
Flags of Our Fathers
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Alternates: Casino Royale, Superman Returns

Best Visual Effects
Casino Royale
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Superman Returns

Alternates: Night at the Museum, Poseidon

The only other possibilities are Eragon and X-Men: The Last Stand, both frightening. I wouldn't be surprised if Pirates and Superman were the only nominees.

Two of last year's best reviewed

2007-01-19T00:29:00.000-08:00

Reviews are up for:

Pan's Labyrinth
and
Volver

It's hard to find the words to do justice to the masterful Pan's Labyrinth, especially in a brief review. If I had a second pass, after some edits, I might have tried to stress the importance of the military storyline (the "real" sections of the film). But it's best to simply see and experience the film for yourself.

I'm also responsible for the Viva Pedro survey/photo gallery attached to the Volver review.

And the latest lame 2007 release: The Hitcher. It's January, whatever.

Golden Globes preview

2007-01-14T00:27:00.000-08:00

We're still in the thick of award season and all of the major Hollywood guilds have announced their nominations: Actors, Directors, Producers, Writers, Cinematographers, Editors. The big news there is that both the Directors Guild and the Producers Guild selected the same five nominees: Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen. It seems like it will take an act of the movie gods to prevent these five movies from being Oscar's Best Picture nominees.

But there's still a lot that feels up in the air about this year's awards, and the Golden Globes may give us the some clues in a few of the more competitive categories.

Nothing that happens at the Golden Globe awards will actually alter who will or will not be nominated for an Oscar. The votes have been cast, the ballots were due in yesterday. That said, there is momentum to be gained, or lost, for potential winners.

A few Globe categories are hardly in play. Helen Mirren, Sacha Baron Cohen and Meryl Streep are sure bets in the lead film categories. A loss for any would be a major upset. It should also be a given that all three will deliver entertaining speeches.

Also likely but not necessarily locked: Dreamgirls duo Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy in the supporting categories. Hudson will face roughly the same competition at SAG and probably on Oscar night. Tomorrow could/should be the first of three big wins for her. Murphy is the only Globe supporting actor nominee also nominated by SAG, so a win or a loss for him probably doesn't mean as much.

But the real races to watch...

Lead actor in a drama:
This could be where Forest Whitaker builds on the dominance he's established from the critics' awards and steamrolls his way to an Oscar.
OR
This could mark a shift toward support for Peter O'Toole or Will Smith. If either were to win here and go on to win at SAG they'd be the man to beat on Oscar night.
OR
Double nominee Leonardo DiCaprio could beat himself. Again, what happens at the Globes doesn't matter, his Oscar nomination fate has already been sealed: he'll be up for The Departed, Blood Diamond, neither, or theoretically both (if enough Oscar voters placed him in lead for Blood Diamond and supporting for The Departed). A Globe victory for Leo would be huge, but a lead Oscar nom for The Departed is the more important nail-biter.

Foreign language film:
Two of the nominees: Apocalypto and Letters from Iwo Jima are not eligible for Oscar's foreign film category because they're American productions. The other three: Germany's The Lives of Others, Spain's Volver and Mexico's Pan's Labyrinth are considered the Oscar front runners.

Eastwood's Iwo Jima has been faring miserably so far in award season, yet it still has to be considered the favorite here. A Globe would be nice but probably won't help increase its box office or awards traction. However, a win for one of the films from another country would be big and help give it prime positioning for Oscar.

Animated film:
This is the first year the Globes have had this category and it will be interesting to see how they vote. At times there's a little too much emphasis put on the "foreign" part of the Hollywood Foreign Press organization that votes on the Globes, but adhering to that cliche Happy Feet should have the edge. Cars was still a bigger hit and comes from well respected Pixar. Monster House is a scrappy underdog.

At any rate it's generally expected these will be the three Oscar nominees for animated film as well. So a win here is probably important.

And the biggies:
Comedy/musical and drama film:
Neither of these feel as up in the air as the other categories but they do seem like honest two way races.

Dreamgirls should have the edge in comedy/musical but Little Miss Sunshine is seen as a possible upset Oscar victor. Beating Dreamgirls for a Globe would make that momentum snowball.

The Departed seems like the likely drama champ (and Scorsese a likely winner in directing, though the Globes don't "owe" him anything the way Oscar does) but the Globes showered Babel with nominations and that "foreign" part of Hollywood Foreign Press is enough to convince pundits it has a shot at a big win. Sometimes, perception is everything. I don't expect Babel to be a real threat for an Oscar win but a Globe victory does seem possible.

On the TV side I'll be cheering for Ugly Betty in both its categories and expect America Ferrera to win. I'm also hoping for an Alec Baldwin win (anything to bring more attention to the undeservedly struggling 30 Rock). And any win for Bleak House would be great (but unlikely).

Otherwise TV is a bit of a snooze. I haven't seen most of the telefilms, including Elizabeth I and Tsunami, or Showtime's Dexter. Wins for Heroes would be nice but I'd rather see that show prove itself a little more.

I'd also love to see Edie Falco win, both to recognize an undervalued season of The Sopranos and to acknowledge that her competition is incredibly lame.

Movies I probably wouldn't have seen...

2007-01-14T00:24:00.000-08:00

if I didn't have my current job:

Arthur and the Invisibles
Stomp the Yard

And also newly posted this week: Notes on a Scandal

Reviews: Two good, one not so much

2007-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a long wait for Little Children to expand beyond a handful of markets but it finally seems to be happening.

Also reviewed: the nutty Perfume and the unforgivably, if not unexpectedly, lame Happily N'Ever After.

And just a note, Knights of Prosperity "encores" tonight at 9 on ABC and is also available to view on the network's website. Catch it fast, before they cancel it. Which probably won't be too long from now.

Top Ten lists coming soon...

Good TV: Knights of Prosperity

2007-01-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

This season's standout new half-hour comedy, The Knights of Prosperity, finally arrives tonight at 9 on ABC. It's a smart, single camera show about a group of blue collar guys (and one attractive woman) who decide to improve their status by robbing a celebrity. In the pilot they set their sites on Mick Jagger (who plays himself in very funny segments throughout tonight's episode).

If the series had premiered last year as originally planned it would've been one of my top picks for Fall TV, but the network decided to hold off until midseason. At the time I thought that might be a good move, but it's possible Knights could've benefited from the Dancing with the Stars lead in that Ted Danson's Help Me Help You squandered. Now Knights goes out with According to Jim as a lead-in...the differences couldn't be more striking.

Knights stars vaguely familiar TV faces like Donal Logue, Sofia Vergara and Lenny Venito but their credits are not as important as the chemistry they develop as an ensemble. Each of the six characters is well defined, unique and smartly cast. One of the show's most immediately appealing traits is the lack of cookie-cutter casting.

The writing and direction for the pilot are equally sharp. It's impossible to say if the show will sustain its heist-driven concept, but the writing and cast chemistry should make Knights a welcome addition to the quality TV comedy landscape.

If you miss tonight's premiere you can still catch it on ABC.com tomorrow.

Knights is paired with another new comedy, In Case of Emergency. I haven't seen it, but I hear it's not so good.

FX strikes out

2007-01-02T00:30:00.000-08:00

I'm not finished looking back at 2006 yet but I already want to declare the new FX series Dirt, which premieres tonight, the worst show of 2007. This is the kind of disaster only a network normally associated with quality could produce.

It's not worth discussing the details of the show other than to say it has some of the worst writing, acting and filmmaking you can currently find in scripted television. What's notable is where you find it. If Dirt was airing on Lifetime it wouldn't be much cause for concern. But coming from FX—home to The Shield, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and scores of noble misfires—this is pretty shocking. It goes beyond HBO's recent atrocity, Lucky Louie, which at least had a decent concept despite its horrendous execution.

After just a few minutes of Dirt's pilot episode it's obvious that the show never should've made it to air in its current form. It demands reshoots, rewriting, recasting. Courteney Cox Arquette, who is both executive producer and series lead, gives a performance so wooden and inept it's just embarrassing. But there's really no one to blame except the FX executives who ushered this on the air.

They could've said no. Luckily viewers can correct that mistake.

2006 in Review

2006-12-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

This look back at movies in 2006 is a personal favorite among the pieces I've actually had published somewhere.

I had a good deal of freedom with this but it's a general, not really a personal, look back. I had to acknowledge a few movies I haven't even seen, but the opinions are about 90% mine. And I'm happy with how it turned out.

I'll post a personal top 10 movies of 2006 later in the week.

And also, a quick mention of a worthwhile section of Entertainment Weekly's year end issue. Their "Great Performances" are well chosen, as usual. Already having covered Helen Mirren (The Queen, Elizabeth I, Prime Suspect), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Talladega Nights), Kiefer Sutherland (24, no mention of The Sentinel—heh), Beyoncé (Dreamgirls but really more for B'Day and its single Irreplaceable and music video Ring the Alarm), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report, White House Correspondents' Dinner), Justin Timberlake (FutureSex/LoveSounds) and Spike Lee (Inside Man, When the Levees Broke) in their "Entertainers of the Year" section, the Great Performances include:

Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
Penélope Cruz in Volver
Kate Winslet in Little Children
Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy in The Last King of Scotland
Rufus Wainwright's Live At Carnegie Hall concert
James Callis on Battlestar Galactica
Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock
Martin Scorsese for The Departed
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson
Rinko Kikuchi in Babel
The Women of Big Love (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sëvigny, Ginnifer Goodwin)

And also Bill Nighy for the play The Vertical Hour, the guys from the Mac ads and OK Go at the MTV Video Music Awards.

And their "Breakouts" section finds room for America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, who has better stuff ahead of her I'm sure), Masi Oka (Heroes) and kicks off with the cast of High School Musical.

It's a big miss to not mention the dual achievement of Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed and Blood Diamond). Michael Sheen's standout support in The Queen and 24's hypeworthy couple Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart are also notable absences. But you have to draw the line somewhere, and EW did a fine job.

Latest reviews

2006-12-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

I'll have end of the year stuff coming soon but for now my latest reviews...

Dreamgirls
The History Boys
We Are Marshall
Charlotte's Web

Sometimes editing hurts.

Globe reactions

2006-12-16T01:47:00.000-08:00

Late, as usual, but here we go.

Nominees are here if you want to follow along.

It's a fairly blah list overall, despite some very deserving (but mostly expected) nominees. Babel leading the field in the film categories pretty much sums it up. I wasn't excited by that movie and I'm not excited by these nominations.

Bobby's semi-surprising nomination as best drama film stands out as particularly bad. The Globes often make lousy choices but as I noted in my previous post I give them credit for skipping over Crash last year (although it's likely they would've nominated it if the voters knew it was headed for its Oscar victory, Globe voters always want to beat Oscar and Emmy to the punch). But Bobby, a sloppy drama that merits zero award consideration, is a far worse film than Crash.

Another poor choice worth singling out: Evangeline Lilly's lead actress nomination for Lost. Yeah, that's right, Kate is the only acting nominee from Lost. It would be hard to justify in any year, but it's especially moronic when Sally Field in Brothers and Sisters (how'd she miss out?), Jeanne Tripplehorn in Big Love and Mary McDonnell in Battlestar Galactica go unnominated.

And yet they nominated Ellen Pompeo for Grey's Anatomy. Lame.

TV was pretty much as expected, but it was a respectable surprise to see Masi Oka actually get a nom as Heroes' favorite Hiro.

It's par for the course these days to undervalue The Sopranos (Edie Falco got a nom but not Gandolfini or the series) and skip over Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood and The Shield. The Globes had a chance to right Emmy's wrong and recognize Forest Whitaker's work in The Shield, but they didn't. It's even weirder since one of the year's biggest Globe trends was double nominations and Whitaker is unsurprisingly nominated for his work in The Last King of Scotland.

Among the actual double nominees: Toni Collette, Emily Blunt, Chiwetel Ejiofor (a real surprise nominee in film's lead actor comedy category for Kinky Boots) and Annette Bening.

Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio scored two nominations in the same category (directing and lead actor drama respectively). Clint can be a double nominee come Oscar time but, due to category rules, Leo can't. That causes concern that his two great performances this year may divide his support and he could wind up without an Oscar nomination. That would be a shame, since he truly is the year's Best Actor thanks to his career-best work in The Departed.

Helen Mirren also competes with herself in the telefilm lead actress category (for PBS' Prime Suspect and HBO's Elizabeth I, neither of which I've seen) and she trumps all multiple Globe nominees with a third mention for The Queen. Unless her TV work splits votes it's hard to imagine her not winning two awards. (If she does split votes maybe Annette Bening will make up for her Emmy loss, or Bleak House's very deserving Gillian Anderson.)

One of the biggest Globe surprises (besides Chiwetel Ejiofor): Maggie Gyllenhaal's best actress nomination for Sherrybaby, a movie which hasn't even made $300,000 in the U.S. Love Maggie, haven't seen the movie yet.

However, World Trade Center, another, much more successful, film featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal was shut out. Ditto fellow 9/11 drama United 93.

On the other hand arty suburban nightmare Little Children fared a little better than expected (a good thing). Nominations for best drama film, best actress and best screenplay might finally convince New Line to open the movie in more than a handful of cities.

The inaugural Animated film category was just as expected with Cars, Happy Feet and Monster House getting nominations. Go penguins!

Foreign language film also was predictable but satisfying with U.S. productions Apocalypto and Letters From Iwo Jima nominated with Germany's The Lives of Others and Spanish language Pan's Labyrinth and Volver. I haven't seen the American ones yet but the other three are easily among the year's best films.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing when foreign film is a much more exciting race than the main best picture categories?

Critics awards and Globes preview

2006-12-14T00:36:00.000-08:00

The Golden Globe nominations will be announced in just a few hours but before the film award focus shifts to those I should acknowledge several critics groups that have announced awards in the past week or so.

The Los Angeles film critics and the National Board of Review both selected Clint Eastwood's Letters From Iwo Jima as the best film of 2006. I haven't seen the film yet but I look forward to it, especially since I immensely enjoyed Eastwood's WWII companion piece Flags of our Fathers.

The New York film critics went with United 93, a critical favorite earlier this year.

All three of these groups selected The Last King of Scotland's Forest Whitaker and The Queen's Helen Mirren as the year's best actor and actress (although Whitaker tied with Borat's Sacha Baron Cohen in Los Angeles).

Other key critics groups to announce awards include Boston film critics (who selected The Departed as the year's best film), Washington D.C. critics (United 93), New York online critics (The Queen) and San Francisco critics (Little Children). (And if you're dying to see their choices in other categories check out Movie City News.)

The Broadcast Film Critics also announced their nominations in a number of categories (they seem to pride themselves on trying to predict Oscar nominations, which makes their selections less interesting than other organizations) and AFI announced its annual top ten list of American films (and also TV shows).

2006 has developed into a pretty respectable year for films and the diversity in these awards demonstrates that to at least some degree. But the Globes will be the first awards of the year to really catch the general public's interest (and the only until Oscar nominations come out).

This year's presumed Oscar frontrunners will be scattered across three categories at the Globes making for a very broad race. Expect to see The Departed and The Queen nominated for best drama film, Dreamgirls and Little Miss Sunshine competing in best comedy/musical and Letters From Iwo Jima regulated to the foreign film category (per Globe rules). (And yes those five films are the top Oscar contenders for Best Picture.)

Babel has deservedly seen its Oscar hopes fade (due mostly to poor box office) but it should be up for drama film here along with some combination of Flags of our Fathers, United 93, World Trade Center, Notes on a Scandal, The Pursuit of Happyness and The Painted Veil. While Borat, The Devil Wears Prada, For Your Consideration and Stranger Than Fiction will be angling to join in the comedy/musical fight. Happy Feet, one of the year's best films, would have a stronger shot at a comedy/musical nomination if the Globes hadn't recently introduced an animated film category.

Of course we could be in for a repeat of last year's unexpected Globe nominations, where smaller, more unlikely, films like Match Point and A History of Violence made the cut. Films as varied as Bobby, Children of Men, Half Nelson, Little Children, Miss Potter and A Prairie Home Companion would fit the bill this year.

It's worth noting that last year's "Best" Picture come Oscar time wasn't even nominated by the Globes. They'll always have that working in their favor.

On the TV side I'm most interested in how several new series will fare. I expect noms for Heroes (drama series), Ugly Betty (comedy series, lead actress and maybe supporting actress for Vanessa Williams), 30 Rock (lead actor and possibly comedy series), Brothers and Sisters (lead actress for Sally Field, longer shot Calista Flockhart, even longer shot Rachel Griffiths and fairly long shot for drama series) and probably Studio 60 (maybe drama series, maybe lead actor/actress, maybe Sarah Paulson in supporting). Showtime's Dexter also likely has a shot at drama series and lead actor nominations.

Other key comedy contenders include Entourage, The Office, My Name is Earl, Scrubs, Desperate Housewives, Weeds and presumably Arrested Development (which aired five episodes in 2006). There's also Two and a Half Men if they want to be boring, or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia if they want to be adventurous. Curb Your Enthusiasm sits this year out.

Dramas eligible include 24, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Big Love, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, House, The Shield, Battlestar Galactica and Rescue Me. Nominating any series outside of this list or the new contenders mentioned above would be a real surprise (even the critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights, given the competition).

By the time anyone reads this nominations will probably have been announced and you'll know how right or wrong I am.

Catching up

2006-12-07T22:51:00.000-08:00

Well if I'm not going to do real updates the least I can do is link to some of my outside reviews.

The latest, just in time to celebrate 5 well deserved Grammy nominations for the Dixie Chicks, is Shut Up and Sing. It's an entertaining and compelling documentary, especially enjoyable if you're a Dixie Chicks fan like myself. But you don't need to be to appreciate their story. It's a wild ride and really underlines how much the political winds have shifted in just a couple of years. (The review probably contains less analysis than any other I've written but I feel the point is really to celebrate and enjoy their story. However, it is definitely a high quality doc, entirely deserving of theatrical release.)

Last week brought The Nativity Story and Fur. Neither of them particularly good. Fur is slightly interesting in a quirky way but it's also one of the year's biggest disappointments, considering how good director Steven Shainberg's previous film, Secretary, was.

But there are a lot of good movies out. My recommended films sidebar hasn't been so large in quite some time, and there are several good movies still awaiting release. This year started off horribly and suffered through an unbearable summer, but things started rolling in late July/early August and 2006 is finishing with an exceptional fall season.

Happy Feet and Casino Royale have ruled the box office charts for the last three weeks and deservedly so. There's a wide mix in the marketplace right now of highly worthwhile mainstream and art films.

Stranger Than Fiction is a film that falls somewhere inbetween and is unfortunately getting a little lost in a crowded environment. Audiences are sure to find it in time (and appreciate what is easily Will Ferrell's best performance ever and work from Emma Thompson that equals her career-best) but I recommend seeing it sooner rather than later.

And finally, this weekend's The Holiday is one of the strongest romantic comedies in some time, with an excellent cast and intelligent quality storytelling from writer/director Nancy Meyers. It's unabashedly entertaining and perfect for the season. Hopefully it will join Happy Feet, Casino Royale and Borat as one of fall's big hits that also just happen to be good films.

Fall TV Update

2006-10-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

Don't tune in to CBS tonight expecting to see a new episode of Smith, one of my fall season favorites. Chances are you weren't planning on it anyway.

Smith, rather sadly, appears to have suffered the grand indignity of being the first fall season casualty. Poor ratings on a network that doesn't need to tolerate audience apathy seem to be the cause for the rapid yanking (only three episodes aired).

Meanwhile, over on NBC (which needs to tolerate audience apathy pretty much seven days a week) the classy thriller Kidnapped has been told to wrap it up at 13 episodes. More insulting: the show has been banished from its 10 pm Wednesday timeslot to the TV Siberia of Saturday nights. But at least it appears NBC is giving it a chance to wrap up its storyline (and it's a sure bet for a DVD release).

Fox has made several changes to their schedule as well, banishing Vanished to Friday nights where it can die quietly and promoting Justice to Mondays where the network hopes the lame procedural can pull a House and grow an audience over time. Not that that strategy has worked yet for Bones.

They've also pulled Happy Hour (aka the Worst New Show) from the schedule, saying it will return but keeping the details so vague it's obvious they hope people will simply forget it ever aired. And seriously Fox, why did it air?

Oh and The CW is switching their Monday and Sunday night program blocks. Will anyone even notice?

But back to Smith. I haven't had time to watch the two episodes that aired after the pilot and it's possible the show started to flounder creatively, but this still has to be considered a disappointment for fans of good TV. CBS took a chance with a show that, well, took chances. And it turned out that didn't fit with the network's formulaic schedule.

I'm not sure how many episodes of Smith were produced or if they'll get to complete their order. At this point CBS won't even say the show is dead, but the network has plenty of midseason contenders to fill the holes created by fall flops (both Shark on Thursdays and especially The Class on Mondays are struggling as well).

The medical drama 3 lbs. with Stanley Tucci and Mark Feuerstein has already been pegged a likely replacement for Smith, while David Spade/Patrick Warburton relationship comedy Rules of Engagement is a clear fit for Mondays. There's also the multi-generational soap Waterfront that could work on Thursdays.

Smith falls down. CBS moves on. And so it goes.

Better ratings news for other standout shows: Ugly Betty, Heroes (picked up for a full season), Jericho and Brothers & Sisters, which are all performing well in their timeslots. The Nine's debut was underwhelming but as long as it doesn't bleed viewers the way Invasion did it should survive, and even that show got one full season which is all The Nine needs anyway.

November's right around the corner. Then things get really ugly.

Frakkin' toasters

2006-10-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

If you know what that subject line means then you probably also know that Battlestar Galactica returns for a third season tonight on Sci Fi Channel (with encores airing Sunday, Monday and Tuesday).

Last season the show was one of my picks for the season's best and having seen rough cuts (without visual effects, sadly) of four new episodes I can happily report that BSG is still great TV. And no not "great sci-fi TV" or "great for Sci Fi TV." Just great TV. One of the best dramas on TV, regardless of genre or network. If you like 24, if you like Lost, if you like the HBO or FX dramas, I can pretty much guarantee you will like this.

Battlestar is full of rich human drama, unexpected and provocative political themes that parallel current events, generally excellent ensemble acting (including Oscar-nominated leads Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, remarkable scene stealer James Callis and surprisingly strong model-turned-actress Tricia Helfer) and a documentary-like visual style worthy of a top notch indie film. It's smart, exciting, addictive.

But here's the thing, I wouldn't recommend that anyone who hasn't already been a regular viewer start watching now. The third season is great, dark, dramatic stuff but it's also different in many ways from what the series has been in the past. Newcomers won't have a sense of the tone of the show up to this point, and the drama won't possess the same weight if you haven't followed the journey.

Go back and check out the DVDs of the miniseries and seasons one and two (which is split into two halves). They're all available on Netflix and should be in most video stores as well. Catch yourself up, you'll be glad you did.

Fall TV Top 5: The Nine

2006-10-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

The fourth new show of the season that hooked me with just one episode is The Nine. (And based on recent news, we won't be seeing #5 until midseason now. Which is hopefully good for the show, but means I'm really doing a Fall TV Top 4.)

The Nine is one of the season's heavily hyped elaborate "high concept" shows. Nine people are taken hostage in a bank for 52 hours. We'll see what happened during those 52 hours over the course of the season while also seeing how the event changed their lives and created a unique bond among them.

So yes there are flashbacks that will tell us more about the characters, yes there's a large ensemble cast and yes this directly follows Lost on ABC's schedule. Unlike last season's Invasion, which never really caught on, I think The Nine has a good shot at turning into a hit. And if Lost continues to be as frustrating as it was in its second season, and The Nine keeps up the high quality of its pilot...well we might even see a dramatic change in what ABC's most popular Wednesday series is.

The cast of The Nine is populated with familiar TV faces: Chi McBride (Boston Public), Kim Raver (24, Third Watch), Tim Daly (Wings, Eyes), Scott Wolf (Party of Five, Everwood), Lourdes Benedicto (24, ER, NYPD Blue), John Billingsley (Star Trek: Voyager), Owain Yeoman (Kitchen Confidential) and Camille Guaty (Prison Break). And the pilot does a good job of balancing them all. How these characters develop will be critical, since the hostage situation can only be expected to provide material for a full season (let's hope).

But no matter where it leads The Nine is well worth checking out in the early goings.

Fall TV Top 5: Ugly Betty

2006-09-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the night for the new series premiere I'm most excited for people to see: Ugly Betty on ABC.

There's a style, attitude and energy to this show that's like nothing else on TV. It's light, funny, immediately involving and features the actress who everyone has pegged as the season's breakout star: America Ferrera. And in her case it's not just empty hype.

I wrote a little about the show before (back when it was still called "Betty the Ugly," a literal translation of its original telenovela title) and I'm pleased that's it has received a good amount of pre-season attention. Pairing the show with monster hit Grey's Anatomy will hopefully work in Betty's favor (it's much better than the Friday timeslot the show originally was set for).

Hopefully there will be a backwards halo effect since Grey's didn't help lead-out Six Degrees much last week. Betty is a significantly better show and if it becomes a ratings success like the network's Lost and Desperate Housewives were in their first seasons it would be another victory for that all too rare breed: quality network television.

Hopefully it won't face the same sophomore slump as those shows, but I'm way ahead of myself there. Let's just get through the first season and hope we don't get a repeat performance of last season's ABC buzz series.

Fall TV Top 5: Heroes

2006-09-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

The concept of NBC's Heroes—"ordinary" people discover they have extraordinary superpowers, but don't know why or what for—sounds like it could be a perfect TV show, or an incredibly ridiculous one. The first episode of the show falls somewhere in the middle, but it's more on the positive side and there's enough that's intriguing to make me optimistic about where this one is going.

Superheroes aren't very common on TV and when they do turn up it's often cartoony. The most important thing to know about Heroes is that it's not like that at all. It's closer to the first two X-Men films' or Batman Begins' approach to superhero mythology, or Lost's "realistic" take on fantasy/sci-fi story elements. This is a show rooted in characters, necessitated by smaller budgets in TV no doubt but also a clear creative intent to make its world relatable and recognizable first, fantastic second.

The best superhero show I've ever seen was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of the best superhero stories in any medium of storytelling. After one episode Heroes can only aspire to that show's masterful blend of comedy, drama, horror, romance and action, but the aspiration is clearly there.

Not every storyline in the premiere works—I found one a little too melodramatic (Ali Larter's single mom stripper) and one a little too self-consciously "funny" (Masi Oka's bored Japanese worker)—but I'm very curious to see where this is all heading. And, unless the episode that airs is different from the one I saw, we won't even meet a key player (a police officer played by Alias vet Greg Grunberg) until the second episode.

Also Airing Tonight:

Runaway is officially the first new show of The CW. It's basically The Fugitive if Richard Kimble had a family. A whole family—dad, mom and three kids—goes on the run when the patriarch (Donnie Wahlberg) is falsely accused of murder. It's not bad but the big question is why get wrapped up in another show with an overarching mystery when there are so many—new and returning—on television right now. And also when this show's timeslot competition is Heroes for the immediate future and the return of 24 come January, if Runaway lasts that long. Still, since this one is on CW it may wind up the beneficiary of lowered network expectations.

After watching the second episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip I've decided the thing I hate most about the show is that it's not bad. It would be so much easier to simply ignore. It's still way too much like The West Wing to feel fresh, and I still don't really like any of the characters. But tonight's episode goes by pretty fast anyway. And I give them credit for doing something I really didn't expect they would: actually showing us part of the show, within the show.

Fall TV: Brothers and Sisters

2006-09-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Brothers and Sisters starts tonight on ABC. It's not one of my top five picks for new shows but I'll be watching it regularly.

So far, the show has been most notable in the entertainment press as the "troubled one" of the new season. The pilot wasn't included with the rest of ABC's pickups in the Fall Preview DVDs that TV writers received back in May. Supposedly that was due to "recasting" a few key roles and "reconceiving" the tone and story of the first episode. Understandable reasons but not the kind of explanations that generate good buzz. And even before the show was picked up there had been negative buzz about how test audiences were reacting, specifically to series star Calista Flockhart (she's a good actress but can be an alienating screen presence). Then, just as production was ramping up, the show lost an executive producer (Marti Noxon who worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) due to "creative differences." (She was ultimately replaced by Everwood creator Greg Berlanti.)

All along those working on the show—including executive producer Ken Olin, playwright/creator Jon Robin Baitz and actors Rachel Griffiths and Ron Rifkin—tried their best to reassure the media that everything was fine. They weren't wrong. The first episode of Brothers and Sisters is really pretty good. Revolving around the relationships of a family with two daughters and three sons, all adults, it has that Zwick/Herskovitz high class, character driven soap vibe. And I've been missing that since Once & Again went off the air several seasons ago.

Plus, the show has what everyone was interested in in the first place: an incredible cast. Yes, you get to see Ally McBeal, Brenda Chenowith and Arvin Sloane back on TV (all playing significantly different characters), as well as the recognizable TV faces of Sally Field, Patricia Wettig and Tom Skerritt.

There are a few too many characters for the first episode to handle (Wettig and Sarah Jane Morris—as the family's only daughter-in-law—are barely even introduced) but in a season where so many shows have people doubting their long-term potential Brothers and Sisters deserves some credit for creating a world with a lot left to explore. And at least there's a built in reason for these characters to be together and for the audience to care about them, unlike ABC's generally limp Six Degrees.

I have my doubts about the show's audience appeal but creatively it's off to an interesting start.

Two weeks of reviews

2006-09-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

There should be some good movies coming out soon but they're not here yet...

Last week:
The Black Dahlia

This week:
All the King's Men
Confetti

All bad, but even worse, all disappointing in their own ways.

The one exception to this is Half Nelson, which premiered at Sundance in January and opened back in August in New York and Los Angeles. It's making its way around the country now. It's offbeat in some ways, conventional in others, but definitely one of the most interesting films of the year. And Ryan Gosling delivers one of the year's finest performances.

Fall TV Top 5: Smith

2006-09-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

I haven’t said much about the new fall TV season yet. But now that the networks are starting to premiere their new shows I figure I should at least mention my favorites.

This was actually a very good pilot season and with the exception of everything on Fox (and ABC’s horrendous wedding day comedy Big Day) I’d be willing to sample a second episode of all the new shows.

But there are five that I’m already committed to based on the pilot alone. (Last season there was only one: ABC’s Sons and Daughters.) So I'll be sure to point those out here as each is about to premiere.

Of course none of those are on Fox. I deliberately ignored saying anything about their new series as the network started rolling them out a couple weeks ago. They’re all bad. The Thursday night comedy Happy Hour is particularly notable as the worst new show of the season. Thankfully ratings for the shows are in line with their quality.

ABC’s Anne Heche-led relationship “dramedy” Men in Trees has also already started airing. The pilot wasn’t bad but it wasn’t very good either. The show has a Friday night timeslot of death that pretty much guarantees it won’t be around come 2007.

Last night brought the premieres of the perfectly adequate traditional comedy The Class on CBS (after one episode I like it more than the same network’s How I Met Your Mother, but will I bother watching?) and the season’s most overhyped new show NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

But that brings us to tonight’s premiere: Smith on CBS. It’s a heist drama (a genre failed multiple times last season including FX’s Thief and NBC’s Heist) but it has a killer cast, the best production values of any new series and a potential for greatness.

The most surprising thing about Smith is that it feels like a cable show, but it’s on CBS. And it’s entirely possible that that will be an oil-and-water combination that will lead to failure. But I like ambitious TV and it’s rare to find something on network TV that is this ambitious.

That killer cast I mentioned is led by Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen, welcome additions to series television, and also includes Simon Baker, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Franky G and Shoreh Aghdashloo. Not all huge names but put them together and they make a strong TV ensemble. The pilot isn’t heavy on character development for the supporting players but there’s enough to make you believe these people will go in interesting directions in the future.

And the characters and relationship written for Liotta and Madsen are fantastic. He leads the heists, she doesn’t know but she has demons of her own. It’s great to see good actors get good material (they wouldn’t find this kind of stuff on film very easily).

I don’t know if Smith is going to attempt to pull off a heist a week (a “commercial” choice, but also risky), or if it will focus in on the characters and explore their moral ambiguities with an occasional heist on the side (an “artistic” choice, but also wiser).

Either way I’ll be watching.

Where I've Been...

2006-09-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since I posted here (my longest break ever in fact, I never went more than a month without posting before) but I've been keeping busy.

My new job has meant a lot of writing and a lot of editing and it's been a great experience so far. But I don't want this blog to die out and hopefully I'll be able to keep it up on a more regular basis now that I've settled into the new job somewhat.

First up I'll just share links to what I've been doing over there, with other "normal" posts to follow.

The biggest project I've done so far is this Fall Movie Guide, which I'm pretty happy with. I wrote just about everything you'll see on the pages, selected all the art and built the pages. It was massive but it was fun. (My colleague helped with the related photo gallery, and did a great job.)

I've written film reviews for:
World Trade Center
Quinceañera
Idlewild
The Descent
Crank
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
The King
Crossover

And I've also done this Q&A with Crank star Jason Statham and a review for Spike Lee's HBO documentary When the Levees Broke.

I'll supply links on a regular basis here, since some of this might be the kind of stuff I would've done on the blog anyway (though a little more formal, not as "bloggy"). But I'll try not to let this replace regular blogging, since I have fun with that too.

I'd like to revisit my pre-season picks for the summer movie season that was and do my own picks for fall, which will differ quite a bit from what I did for Metromix. But that will come soon.

Top Ten TV Shows of 2005-06

2006-06-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

It's become increasingly difficult to properly define a "season" of TV. Not only because the networks continue to test the boundaries of the traditional season and cable has never restricted itself to a "proper" September-May schedule, but also because the rise of TiVos, On Demand and TV on DVD have made it easier than ever for viewers to create their own schedules and watch entire seasons of shows on their own terms.

But I'm gonna stick with tradition and pay tribute to the best of the conventional TV season that ended about a month ago. That means stuff that aired between June 2005 and May 2006. After all, it's still the way the Emmys define their eligibility period (this year's nominations are due out July 6, while I'm on a break from this blog).

I could list out everything that I watched over the past year, and everything I still plan on catching, but instead I'll reserve this space for what I liked most of all. However, there are a few shows that would have made my list of the season's best, if I had more room:

-Big Love, yet another strong effort from HBO which invited viewers into a unique world (and lifestyle) in a credible way
-Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX), two cranky comedies that regularly made me laugh out loud

and first place runner-up...
-Wonder Showzen (MTV2), still wonderfully warped, if a little less fresh, in season two

But on to the real deal...

10. Rome (HBO; available on DVD)

HBO and the BBC teamed up to turn truly ancient history into an addictive soap, equal parts class and trash. The first season of this opulent epic was overflowing with raunchy sex and graphic violence, but it never felt forced thanks to its strong characterizations and extraordinary ensemble cast (with Ray Stevenson and Polly Walker especially relishing their scene-stealing roles). Forget Hollywood's ponderous period pictures, for costume drama that sizzles all roads lead...right here.

Standout episodes: The Stolen Eagle; The Ram Has Touched the Wall; The Spoils; The Kalends of February

9. Sons and Daughters (ABC)

This could have been the next great family comedy, if only people had bothered to watch. It probably should've aired on cable where the show's sharp, partially improvised dialogue, semi-serialized storylines and extensive ensemble would've been properly viewed as strengths rather than flaws. At least ABC took a chance and let ten episodes air, making network television a more interesting place in the process.

Standout episodes: Anniversary Party; BBQ Therapy; Surprise Party; The Homecoming

8. Six Feet Under (HBO; available on DVD)

The last season of HBO's signature sex-'n'-death drama started off a little weak, but by the time it hit the home stretch Six Feet Under delivered some of its finest episodes ever, culminating in a remarkable series finale that gave the show the arty/invigorating/absurd/glorious/pretentious/abundantly satisfying ending it deserved. And on a series that always honored its supremely talented cast, Frances Conroy and Rachel Griffiths finished the run as first among equals.

Standout episodes: Rainbow of Her Reasons; All Alone; Static; Everyone's Waiting

7. Extras (HBO; available on DVD)

Following up one of the greatest TV shows ever made is a pretty tough challenge. But Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant proved themselves up to the task with this unique portrait of two insecure and self-sabotaging background players in the U.K. film world. Gervais again starred, paired this time with the equally brilliant Ashley Jensen, and the result was a short season of piercing hilarity.

Standout episodes: Kate Winslet; Ben Stiller; Patrick Stewart

6. 24 (Fox; available on DVD)

It's surprise enough that such a gimmicky concept even made it to a fifth season. But watching this high-wire-act of an action drama deliver its most consistently compelling season yet was downright shocking. Bolstered by the show's strongest ensemble ever, "Day Five" raced breathlessly from one tension-filled situation to the next. Cast members dropped like flies, bold twists divided (and delighted) the audience and the clock kept ticking... making those seven days between new episodes seem like an eternity.

Standout episodes: Difficult choices for a show that's more about moments than episodes but: 7:00 A.M.-8:00 A.M. (season premiere); 4:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M. (motorcade attack); 10:00 P.M.-11:00 P.M. (the big reveal); 11:00 P.M.-12:00 A.M. (season finale)

5. Bleak House (PBS; available on DVD)

Who knew a novel from the 1800s, by Charles Dickens no less, could be turned into something so gripping in 2006? This Masterpiece Theater presentation of a BBC sensation preserves Dickens' serialized storytelling format but shatters PBS' stodgy reputation thanks to an audacious filmmaking style and passionate emotional resonance. Anna Maxwell Martin turned in arguably the best performance of the entire TV season as the radiant and intelligent Jane Austen-esque heroine.

Standout episodes: Parts 1, 4, 6

4. The Sopranos (HBO; available on DVD)

Continually setting the bar for the level of quality possible on television, the landmark drama had a fascinating sixth season. Complaints about the pace seemingly disregard the peerless filmmaking and performances. Tension mounted as the people we've come to know so well took baby steps forward, and backward, in this introspective season that explored big questions of mortality, heredity, enlightenment and the irresistible lure of a lifestyle that has great rewards but even greater penalties. Only eight more to go.

Standout episodes: The Fleshy Part of the Thigh; Mr. and Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request; Johnny Cakes; Cold Stones

3. Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi; first half and second half available on DVD)

In case you haven't heard, this is the show that single-handedly made sci-fi (both the channel and the genre) a respectable destination for lovers of quality drama. And over the course of an exhilarating and provocative 20-episode second season, split into two equally riveting halves, this re-imagining of a cheesy 70s space opera blossomed into one of TV's unquestionable best. Despite its cosmic setting, no show has more to say about the way we live now. Episodes make time for kick ass action and challenging portrayals of religious fundamentalism, terrorism, war, civil liberties and other vital topics without pandering or preaching. And damn is it fun.

Standout episodes: Home; Resurrection Ship; Downloaded; Lay Down Your Burdens

2. The Shield (FX; available on DVD)

It's a real mystery why The Shield isn't on the tip of everyone's tongue as one of TV's best dramas. This richly complex police drama gets deeper, and better, with each new season and long ago deserved the right to be mentioned in the same breath with The Sopranos, as a true contemporary classic. The problem is you've got to start at the beginning, but by the time you hit season five and see the Strike Team face off with a fiercely committed IA agent, who is determined to expose and end their corruption once and for all, you'll wonder why you ever resisted watching in the first place.

Standout episodes: Trophy; Kavanaugh; Of Mice and Lem; Post Partum

1. Arrested Development (Fox; available on DVD)

No, putting it on top isn't some statement about a great show that ended too soon. In fact part of me is glad that Arrested Development is done, finished, kaput. Yeah I said it. It's actually heartening to know that this brilliant comedy never lost its mojo. How it survived for three genius seasons without fading, becoming desperate or selling out is for wiser people than me to know. I'm just glad we have 53 episodes of these miserable bastards, and enough in-jokes to last a lifetime. Bob Loblaw. Mr. F. Oh come on. Has anyone in this family ever even seen a chicken? I've made a terrible mistake.

Standout episodes: The Ocean Walker; S.O.B.s; Fakin' It; Development Arrested

Summer heroes

2006-06-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

June is almost over and the summer movie season is every bit as uninspiring as I thought it would be. At least Mission: Impossible III delivered the action goods, and I'm still holding out some hope for the I'll-get-to-it-eventually flick Cars (and maybe Over the Hedge will be a decent surprise when I get to it on DVD). But what I want to talk about now is a smaller film now making its way to theaters around the country (before we get to the big movie that everyone already knows about).

Wordplay opened last week to strong limited release box office and solid reviews and I'm confident it will continue to play well throughout the summer.

It's the latest entry in the Lite Documentary subgenre, the kind of crowd-pleasing movies that have helped docs muscle in on precious arthouse screen space in a major way. "Fun" docs reached a quality peak with the spelling bee examination Spellbound, a movie to which Wordplay owes some sort of debt. While Spellbound lovingly scrutinized the quirky personalities of the kids who enter spelling bees before thrusting us into the suspenseful world of the bee itself, Wordplay introduces a range of crossword puzzle fanatics on its way to a climax at the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut.

In both movies it comes as a surprise that such seemingly cerebral challenges can provide such nail-biting tension on screen, but both films deliver exactly that by building interest in the competitors and helping the audience see, through their eyes, what makes these brainy showdowns worth getting worked up over.

Wordplay is, not unexpectedly, a celebration of both words and puzzles. Its subjects' enthusiasm for crosswords is contagious, helped by filmmaker Patrick Creadon's relaxed, entertaining style. And although the movie lacks Spellbound's depth and range, it has a secret weapon of its own: entertaining interviews with celebrity crossword enthusiasts ranging from documentarian Ken Burns to musicians the Indigo Girls to Major League Baseball player Mike Mussina to comedian Jon Stewart (in hilarious form) to former President Bill Clinton (and his former rival Bob Dole, who both help explain one of the cleverest crosswords ever created).

This is the kind of movie that makes moviegoing refreshing, and fun.

Fun is exactly what, I think, Superman Returns is supposed to be. And exactly what, I unfortunately know, it isn't.

Although it doesn't properly arrive in theaters until next week I have to say I'm a bit baffled by the overly kind early reviews. But at least it can be said that Superman is no X-Men-level fiasco. This one actually delivers something. It has the kind of visual dazzle one would hope for from a massively expensive summer movie: the special effects are truly awesome and director Bryan Singer gets strong technical support from his usual ace director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel, who is undeniably gifted when it comes to unusual angles and showy camera moves.

But the rest of the movie falls strangely flat. Especially critical components like writing (including dialogue, storyline, plotting and characterizations) and casting. Even the movie's timeline is weird. The film pays direct tribute to the earlier Superman films and, in puzzling decision #1, is apparently designed to take place after the events of 1980's Superman II. Yet, in puzzling decision #2, the lead actors are ridiculously young. Who decided on a "mature" take on Superman starring two actors who wouldn't be out of place on a WB soap? (Especially since, um, The WB actually has a youthful Superman soap.)

It wouldn't matter much if Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth delivered inspired performances in their roles (after all, everything about Superman relies on suspension of disbelief) but they don't. Not that they have inspired material to work with, or that they stand out for their failure to elevate it. Everyone in the film either has too little to do (like proven greats Frank Langella as Perry White and Eva Marie Saint as Ma Kent) or is boring doing it (notably Kevin Spacey as a thoroughly unmemorable Lex Luthor and James Marsden in the ill-conceived new role of Lois Lane's fiance). Only Parker Posey adds some spark to her role, as Luthor's lady of the moment (but she might add a bit too much spark, it often seems like she's in a different movie entirely).

Even so Bosworth is asking for a Razzie nom for her entirely unconvincing work as Lois Lane, here a Pulitzer Prize-worthy journalist and young mother (though the actress seems more like a big sister to her onscreen offspring), and Routh leaves little impression at all in the dual roles of Superman and Clark Kent (making it seem doubtful he'll find any more career traction than those who previously portrayed the superhero).

At least the movie delivers the visual goods. And for some that may be enough. There's an epic-ness to the film that is otherwise pretty much absent this summer (with the possible exception of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel), but at 2 1/2 hours Superman and Singer are really trying the audience's patience, especially when the movie fails to advance these iconic characters in any meaningful way.

And for a movie designed to re-ignite a franchise for its studio it commits an even bigger offense: it doesn't leave you wanting more.

Looking forward to fall

2006-06-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

I don't like writing about pilots for the broadcast networks' new fall shows so early for two reasons: first because the early pilots networks send out aren't always reflective of what will actually air (things can still be recut, reshot, recast or otherwise reworked) and secondly because not that many people have access to them and they won't actually air until September. So I'll save the detailed posts for later, but I've been looking for something good to mention here lately and a couple of the pilots I've seen so far definitely fit the bill.

They're not, however, either of NBC's heavily-hyped-by-entertainment-media Saturday Night Live-inspired "backstage" shows. I like the one by the woman who actually wrote for SNL a little better than the one by the guy who (for some completely unfathomable reason) wishes he had. But they both have strengths and weaknesses. Together they might make for a great show, but separately they're both too TV-focused to actually be interesting and simply not creative enough to stand out beyond their concepts and pedigrees. In other words neither one really leaves me wanting more.

At least that's one problem that another new NBC show, Heroes, doesn't have. The average-Joes-discover-they're-superheroes hour is derivative of Lost in a lot of ways, but unlike last season's glut of convoluted supernatural mystery offerings this one only borrows concepts from Lost that are well suited to a TV drama. If it maintains a strong emphasis on its characters (and improves its writing a bit) Heroes may even turn out to be better (less frustrating) than the hit island saga.

But we have to switch networks to cover the best of what I've seen so far. Three new shows from ABC suggest the network is looking to corner the market on TV's most involving, and best looking, series. According to Jim is going to look even worse on a network where everything else looks like a mini-movie, if the pilots for Betty the Ugly, Let's Rob... and Notes from the Underbelly are any indication. Yes two of them have terrible titles (and a case could be made that Let's Rob... is pretty bad too) but they're all interesting, well done shows that make the whole pilot thing look easy. Even though anyone who's ever watched TV knows it's anything but.

Notes is the least special of the three and suffers from an unfortunate lack of chemistry between its leads, and I don't expect it to be around very long, but it still looks and feels so much better than we have any right to expect from network TV. For most networks it would probably be a standout effort, but not here.

Especially because both Betty and Rob are so extremely good. They could be the best pilots of the season, but it's too soon for me to say (there's nine more shows to watch from ABC alone). Like the best pilots these two immediately place you in their world, establish a strong, distinctive tone and introduce you to characters you want to keep watching. Both have casts that immediately click (with very strong leads in America Ferrera and Donal Logue, respectively) and, very important since both are comedies, both have genuine laugh-out-loud moments (especially Rob).

It's still a long way till September, but in the network TV world it's never too early for hype. And these two deserve it.

So again:
Betty the Ugly
and
Let's Rob...

Even HBO makes mistakes

2006-06-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

HBO's latest original series, the half-hour comedy Lucky Louie, premieres tonight (and repeats throughout the week) and it's a rarity for the network: it's really awful.

Sure HBO has had an occasional trainwreck in its past (Arli$$ and The Mind of the Married Man come to mind), but for the most part even its "failures" (like say K Street or The Comeback or Carnivale) are still interesting in some way. Lucky Louie does have an interesting concept: it's a "traditional" sitcom with a studio audience, laugh track, spare sets and a blue collar family at its center, but since this is HBO the writers are free to use as much "colorful" language and tackle whatever "adult" topics they want without resorting to innuendo or double entendres. Unfortunately the execution is as painful as any other generic network sitcom and the pilot episode plays something like an especially vulgar episode of According to Jim.

There was reason to expect more. Series creator and star Louis C.K. has a resume that includes writing gigs for David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Chris Rock and this show does air on HBO. But in watching it it's hard to understand why, this show is unreasonably bad for such a high quality network. There's a feeling of desperation here that would be more at home on Showtime. Not only is the writing not funny but the acting is terrible (only Mike Hagerty, as Louie's best friend, displays decent comic delivery) and the look of the show is appallingly bad. To top it all off the first episode runs a painful 31 minutes, an excrutiating amount of time to spend on not being funny (without commercials most network sitcoms are about 23 minutes long). The second episode is shorter at least, if not any funnier.

Several critics have already done an excellent job eviscerating the show (especially Tim Goodman in the San Francisco Chronicle) and I'd rather not spend any more time on it. Instead I'd rather write about something good (maybe the new season of Deadwood, which I haven't started watching yet), so I'll be back with something better soon.

Criticizing the critics

2006-06-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

While we're on the topic of NBC, let's pause to celebrate their strong showing in yesterday's Television Critics Association nominations.

And by "celebrate" I mean get so blasted we can't even remember these things were announced. Because they're best forgotten.

Usually you can count on the TCAs for a pretty solid list with a couple of fun "the-Emmys-would-never!" picks. Yeah, they always lean a little too heavily on the guys in their two performance categories but they'll also do things like nominate Sarah Michelle Gellar or Lauren Graham or The [real] Office or The Shield or other genuinely deserving but often overlooked shows/performers. This year there are no such fun picks (although they did go for Graham again, but considering her show's less than spectacular season even that choice feels rote).

Perennial awards watching irritant Tom O'Neil, in typically hysterical form, posted a Tom-explains-it-all rant about why TCA "snubbed" Desperate Housewives. And his "it's a boy's club" rationale probably isn't that far off base, but it does ignore a couple points: it may or may not make the Emmy list but DH wasn't getting a TCA nom this year no matter what, it simply wasn't good enough (and the real question isn't why it was ignored, but why Lost didn't get the same treatment after a similarly disappointing second season), and, more importantly, Grey's Anatomy got two big TCA nominations. Try to find a bigger chick show than that on all of primetime television at the moment.

The nominations are clearly more about "buzz" than anything else (which makes sense because in TV, critics either create the buzz or become slaves to it to avoid looking irrelevant). But I'll stop dancing around it and get to the point: where the hell are Battlestar Galactica and Arrested Development?

Seriously. This is what I count on the TCA for, recognizing the deserving underdogs. I can forgive them for moving on from The Shield (it's their loss) but must they hold up the absurdly overrated My Name is Earl and the why-isn't-it-dead-yet!?! Scrubs as examples of television's best comedy? And does House really need a drama series nomination? (Correct answers: no and no.)

Seeing the season's best shows overlooked at the Emmys will be unfortunate enough. Seeing them passed over by television critics is just pathetic.

Fall Schedules: NBC (Take Two)

2006-06-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

This was announced last week but I didn't really catch it until the weekend (and didn't get around to writing about it until now, obviously): that silly fall schedule NBC announced a couple weeks ago is history. In its place is a brand new schedule, a reaction to what the grown up networks announced after NBC dove headfirst into an empty pool. (Check out the network's spin here.)

Good Move: Obviously something had to be done about sending Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 to the slaughter opposite CSI and a relocated Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights, and in the process NBC ditched its lame new-shows-at-9 "strategy." Studio 60 will now air Mondays at 10, following new series Heroes (the only new show that will air at 9). Studio has a better shot here—it was smart to capitalize on ABC's most obvious vulnerability: the returning What About Brian—but it's still doubtful to be a breakout hit, and CSI: Miami won't even have to break a sweat to dominate the hour.

Taking Studio's place in the nobody-wants-it Thursday at 9 slot is NBC's most popular show, Deal or No Deal. It probably won't stay NBC's most popular show in this new time but it should keep the network alive better than anything else would (like, say, The Apprentice, or, lord help us all, an hour of Scrubs). And DoND also airs Mondays at 8, where it should keep doing fine for the time being (and is a lot less embarrassing than previous timeslot occupant Fear Factor).

The other new series relocated before they even air are Kidnapped (moving to Wednesdays at 10 from Tuesdays at 9, which seems smart but could be risky if ABC's Lost helps its new lead-out The Nine become a hit) and the comedy block of Twenty Good Years/30 Rock (from Wednesdays at 9 to Wednesdays at 8; they'd be the only comedies on network TV in either hour but this takes them out of Lost's attack zone and avoids two full hours of new shows on Wednesday).

Bad Move: NBC clearly has no idea what to do with its Law & Order franchise anymore. Ratings may not be as strong as they once were but by moving the original series to Friday night (in a timeslot that claimed the only L&O spin-off casualty, Trial By Jury, and last season's L&O-variation Conviction) they essentially admit it's no longer anything more than a Crossing Jordan-type utility player. (Not coincidentally Crossing Jordan, which wasn't on NBC's original fall schedule, has been called back into action for the Friday at 8 slot. I think it's the first time the show has ever aired at such an early hour.)

And both L&O spin-offs, Criminal Intent and SVU, will air back-to-back on Tuesday nights. This is a really weird move but I expect one of the two will end up on Sundays after football ends anyway. (That's apparently also where NBC tentatively plans to put Medium, the only show removed from Fall Schedule Version 2.0.)

Save the Worst for Last

2006-05-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it set records in its opening weekend. But there's just no way around it. X-Men: The Last Stand is a bad movie. Or at most, it's not a good one.

Hardcore fans have been screaming bloody murder since fauxteur Brett Ratner was given the director's chair on the final film in a planned trilogy after previous X-Men director Bryan Singer moved on and Layer Cake helmer Matthew Vaughn dropped out. I didn't think one person could do that much damage to an already well established franchise. After all, the Singer films weren't high art, they were just fun and kinda smart. It couldn't possibly be that difficult for someone to just follow their blueprints and reap the artistic rewards, right?

Oh boy was I wrong.

As much as I'd love to, I can't lay all the blame with Ratner. Screenwriters Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg deserve just as much scorn for creating this flavorless dud. It's like no one involved actually saw the first two X-Men films and simply watched the trailers instead. The Last Stand is a collection of empty action scenes interrupted by long stretches of mindless dialogue delivered by characters who have been stripped of the inner lives and extra dimensions carefully cultivated in the previous films. Ratner and his team seem to think there's no reason to further the themes or relationships established in previous films, that all the audience wants are heavy effects and fight scenes (not that they go all out on that front either).

It's not like there wasn't any provocative material to deal with. The movie centers around two big ideas: the discovery of a "cure" for mutants that will turn them into "regular" people and the rebirth of X2 casualty Jean Grey as an out-of-control bad girl dubbed Phoenix. But both plotlines are handled with an absolute minimum of thought or care, they simply exist to move the action along. (The Phoenix storyline is especially botched. Anyone who's seen Goldeneye or the second season of Nip/Tuck knows Famke Janssen can play a great villain, but here she just looks confused most of the time. And you can't blame her.)

The film also kills off several key characters, both literally and metaphorically (by stripping them of their mutant powers), and introduces a slew of new ones. But none of that matters when the approach is so uninspired. Unlike the first two films this X-Men is so inept at juggling its ensemble that everyone begins to feel irrelevant. It helps the movie a little to have good actors like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman (joined by solid newcomers like Kelsey Grammer and Ellen Page) but it hurts when they have nothing to work with. And the baffling presence of the new character Angel, played by Ben Foster, in a handful of scenes can only be explained as some sort of symbolic metaphor for the rest of the film. And that's a very generous reading.

The Last Stand actually works as a reminder of how good Hollywood has become at the sequel game. A lame toss-off like this simply isn't acceptable when we've seen so many big budget sequels that are as good as, if not better than, their predecessors.

This one is so far removed from what came before it that you can't help but believe the studio didn't just want the X-Men trilogy to end, they wanted it to die.

Action hour smackdown

2006-05-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

So I was all set to write a cutesy (and hopefully at least slightly insightful) post about how Alias and 24 both close out their fifth seasons tonight, and the differences and similarities the two shows have had over their runs. But then I saw this Canadian website has already done a pretty good job of exactly that.

The relevant points I wanted to make are that both shows were introduced to audiences shortly after 9/11 (24's pilot, which featured an airplane explosion, was even re-edited in the aftermath of that tragedy), both were warmly received by critics and Emmy voters (although neither was an instant ratings smash), both have helped prove the value of TV-on-DVD releases and both have had their share of creative highs and lows.

But the important differences are underlined by the fact that Alias is ending its series run with cellar-dwelling ratings and the general sense that its best days are long gone, while 24 is ending its season with enviable viewership and possibly its most buzzed-about season yet.

If anyone ever considered these two shows to be at odds then it's fair to say Alias won an important battle (it's doubtful that 24 will ever have a season with the depth and complexity of human behavior present in Alias' second season, which incorporated near HBO-level character drama into its spy game storylines) but 24 has long since won the war. Firmly establishing itself in season one as a show where no character is safe (or trustworthy), 24 is genuinely thrilling in a way that series TV almost never is. It's been frequently remarked, and impossible to deny, that a season of 24 is better than most action movies.

While each season of 24 pressed the reset button and set up new challenges, fresh characters and legitimate mortal peril for any series regular not named Kiefer, Alias struggled and floundered as the years wore on, unable to build satisfying arcs and at a loss for what to do with much of its ensemble (including Emmy-worthy talents like Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Victor Garber and Ron Rifkin).

And so I'm anxious—and only a bit apprehensive—to see how Jack Bauer's most brilliant/insane (brilliantly insane? insanely brilliant?) day yet will come to a close.

But I'll have to wait a bit longer to see how Sydney Bristow says goodbye to audiences for good (I'm still a few episodes behind on the current season), hoping that things will be wrapped up in a way that this once-great series deserves, but secure in the belief that a bit more risk-taking would've done the show a world of good.

More desperate than ever...

2006-05-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty loyal to Desperate Housewives in its troubled second season. Despite the unavoidable wails of "sophomore slump" in the media (delivered with that sickening relish present in most attacks against massive media sensations) I've found the show to be mostly enjoyable, if not up to the high quality of the first season.

While season one came out of nowhere and stunned everyone with its enormous ratings and creative mix of comedy, drama and mystery, season two has been hit with almost nonstop critical brickbats, has seen lead-out Grey's Anatomy overtake it in ratings and buzz and has been notably less nimble in its genre-hopping tendencies. But I felt the show was settling into a nice groove as a light comedy—with occasional well done "serious" moments—driven by four talented actresses and a solid, if a bit bloated, supporting cast. I still preferred Housewives to the more celebrated Lost, which has had its own second season issues, thanks to the performers and storylines that were more fun than frustrating or repetitive.

At least I felt that way until the last few episodes, "sweeps" installments driven more by Big Events than the strong solid moments—comedic and dramatic—that I still appreciated. And then last night, with a two-hour season finale that was generally miserable, the show fell completely off the cliff.

I'm not quite ready to join the Housewives-haters club (we'll see where they go next season) but I'm now about 99% convinced that this show will never be better than it was in season one and its chances for survival beyond a fourth or fifth season are minimal at best (it really and truly is Ally McBeal on a larger scale). (And it doesn't help that current and former cast members are getting so vocal with their criticisms in a series of USA Today articles: James Denton (and others), Mehcad Brooks and Doug Savant.)

Among the weak developments in the season ender:

-Marcia Cross has been treated alternately wonderfully and terribly by the show this season but her performance has been a consistent highlight (she's fully exploded Bree beyond simple "caricature" into an incredibly complex person). However, she's been vocal about the clear differences she sees between Housewives and her previous TV hit, Melrose Place. Those lines are getting increasingly blurrier, especially with last night's mental hospital visit, and she has to realize it.

-The writers took way too long to confirm what we all pretty much knew anyway: Tom isn't having an affair and Carlos is. Wow.

-The revelation of Tom's "second family" is something that's been floating around online since over a year ago, during the whole "Marcia Cross is a lesbian" tabloid frenzy (as was the long gestating idea of Andrew sleeping with one of Bree's boyfriends). The USA Today article on Savant dealt mostly with this point. Considering they had so long to prepare it’s a shame that the execution was so sloppy. Huffman and Savant are two of the strongest cast members but Kiersten Warren's performance as Tom's other baby mama was immediately off-putting and falls into the show's bizarre penchant for writing guest stars in a broad, trashy way. I'm not looking forward to more screen time for her next season. (And I know it's hard to pay attention to other shows when you're working for one but the writers really should check out what a poor idea it was to give Luke a kid on Gilmore Girls...)

-The Applewhite family storyline came to a conclusion as boring as everything that preceded it. What a waste of Alfre Woodard. I imagine she's at least disappointed, if not outright pissed, with what they gave (or didn't give) her to do. The climax even belonged to Marcia Cross.

-Since USA Today said we'd be seeing the last of six cast members, and the Applewhites won't be returning (#1-3), it seems like we're also done with Paul and Zach Young (#4-5). There really wasn't much use for them anyway, outside of a few amusing scenes with Harriet Harris' Felicia Tillman. Especially since...

-Why the show never played out the father/son story between Mike Delfino and Zach Young is beyond me. And now that Mike appears to be dead (#6) and Zach is gone then I guess that is that. Mike's hit-and-run murder at the hands of mysterious dentist Orson (Kyle MacLachlan) likely sets up the Big Mystery for season 3. During the episode I was excited at the prospect of what seemed like a developing love triangle between Susan, Bree and Orson. That could've been fun. But the shocking death ruins that, especially since...

-The show decides to end the season with a threatened reprisal of the Worst Housewives Storyline Ever. Bree is about to become romantically involved with ANOTHER killer?? Sure, at least this one didn't kill her husband, but COME ON. Even if they try to have fun by twisting this story in a very different direction from what they did with wretched pharmacist George, it still seems like they're back in the same unappealing corner Marc Cherry trapped the show in at the end of last season by killing Rex.

Add to this the minor complaints that the finale was completely free of Nicollette Sheridan's Edie and almost completely free of Richard Burgi's Carl—two of the most enjoyable side characters—and that the great idea of flashbacks to the Housewives' move-in days was pretty much for naught (except ironic juxtapositions with their current situations) and you get a massively disappointing finale. Worlds away from last season's tight, satisfying hour.

Right now I'm still coming from a point of love with my criticisms but that love is turning into frustration and there are an awful lot of interesting looking pilots—many even on ABC—next season...

Fall Schedules: The CW

2006-05-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

And for our final new schedule of the week: the brand new network The CW. It looks a lot like The Brady Bunch starring UPN as Mike and The WB as Carol. Sure they had to kill a few kids on the way but now everyone will be happily coexisting… in mediocrity. (Press release here.)

Good move: Launching a new network is confusing enough so even though the debut schedule is deadly dull I think it’s smart to keep as many established shows in place as possible. People can still get their Heaven on Mondays, Gilmores on Tuesdays, Models on Wednesdays and Superboy on Thursdays.

The only significant shift—creating an "urban comedy block" on Sundays—is smart counter-programming for a tough night. And even though slating Everybody Hates Chris at 7 provides a more limited audience it saves the show from having to battle tough family-audience competition at 8 from The Simpsons, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and The Amazing Race.

Bad move: It’s tempting to call the renewal of Veronica Mars a poor decision since the show ranks 23rd in the ratings out of all WB/UPN shows (lower than any scripted show that wasn’t an instant disaster like South Beach or Bedford Diaries). But it will give the network some much needed support from TV critics (and pairing it with Gilmore could help expand its audience, although what sort of creative state the Girls will be in next season is anybody’s guess).

What’s really questionable is pairing the network’s one new drama—Runaway, another of those conspiracy thriller hours—with the back-from-the-dead 7th Heaven. The closest The WB ever came to finding a suitable match for Heaven was with Everwood (which The CW has rather improbably cancelled). Other than the fact that they’re both about families I can’t see any thematic or stylistic parallel between Heaven and Runaway. And Runaway will have the added obstacle of trying to find an audience against Fox’s easier-to-promote conspiracy thriller Vanished (and then 24 in January, if by some miracle Runaway lasts that long) and NBC’s new superhero hour. I know there’s nowhere else for a new show on the schedule (with Supernatural staying put Thursday at 9 and Sunday at 9 being an impossible slot), but why is it there at all?

I’m looking forward to…: The CW only ordered three series—Runaway, Girlfriends spinoff The Game and midseason teen soap Hidden Palms—none of them interesting.

…but not: See above.

What they didn’t pick up: The CW did not order a Nick Lachey/Lindsay Sloane/Lacey Chabert relationship comedy, a Wayne Brady workplace comedy, a teen drama from Aaron Spelling and the widely reported-on Smallville spinoff, Aquaman. Nothing else was even ordered to pilot.

Say goodbye to…: Who’s gonna miss UPN’s: Cuts, Eve, Get This Party Started, Half & Half, Love Inc., One on One, Sex Love and Secrets, and South Beach? Raise your hands! Yeah, I didn’t think so…

The WB’s casualties include: nonstarters The Bedford Diaries, Just Legal, Modern Men, Pepper Dennis, Related and Twins, and placeholders Blue Collar TV, Living With Fran and What I Like About You. Plus the leaving-on-its-own-terms Charmed and sacrificial lamb Everwood (sure to inspire much CW hate mail).

…but not: 7th Heaven, which aired a "series finale" over a week ago but will return for an 11th season anyway (apparently it’s still the most watched show on either WB or UPN, how scary is that?). And Reba, which was renewed for season six despite reports that The CW would cancel the show (which would’ve meant paying a penalty in the neighborhood of $20 million due to a two-year contract between The WB and Reba’s studio, 20th Century Fox Television). Now the network will have to find something to pair Reba with (it’s not gonna fit in on Sundays), or maybe they’ll just run back-to-back episodes for six weeks in that soon-to-be-open post-7th Heaven slot.

Fall Schedules: Fox

2006-05-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

Fox’s fall schedule attempts to demonstrate stability, but there’s only so much a network can do when they have to hold off two of their biggest guns—American Idol and 24—until January. (Press release here.)

Good move: For fall Fox has to rely primarily on House and its modest but solid performing Sunday schedule (and hope that fans will return to Prison Break when there’s no prison to break out of in second season). The network really isn’t trying to change up its game very much, just build on what it has and hold its breath until January.

That said it’s wise to pair its best looking new series (hostage negotiator drama Standoff) with its biggest hit (House), even if the new show has to lead off the night.

Bad move: Let’s see… renewing The Loop, hoping Bones develops into something that it never will (i.e. the next House), keeping The OC alive in a vegetative state. Fox has very quietly become the most boring network on TV (yes, even more than CBS). It used to be known for edgy, offbeat shows but the development slates for the past few seasons have been so inspiration-free (a law show titled Justice!?! You have to be kidding!) you have to wonder when exactly braindead zombies took over the network that gave us The Simpsons, The X-Files, Ally McBeal, 24, The Bernie Mac Show, Arrested Development and scores of noble failures (Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Profit, Undeclared, etc.). This is all the more puzzling since Fox President Peter Liguori knows good TV from his days running FX. I guess everyone sells out sometime.

I’m looking forward to…: Only one show really, and it may suck. But Standoff at least has a decent cast (including Ron Livingston and Gina Torres) and sells itself as a Mr. & Mrs. Smith-style look at hostage negotiators. As long as it isn’t too bogged down in procedure it may be interesting (although it's too bad Livingston and Torres aren't paired together as the central couple). Midseason comedy The Winner with The Daily Show’s Rob Corddry at least seems like a good Fox concept, but it’s from the Family Guy creators and has the look of desperate, not smart, comedy.

…but not: Everything else. Even the casts don’t inspire much confidence (although we’ll see who they get to replace Bruno Campos as the lead in The Wedding Album…not that I’ll be watching).

What they didn’t pick up: Hmm, I wonder if any of these shows were any good. Probably not. But I’d rather see a single mom bounty hunter comedy (with The L Word’s Erin Daniels and Annie Potts) and Sean Bean in a criminal underworld drama than most of what made the schedule.

Say goodbye to: Some veterans of better times (Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show, That 70s Show), a bunch of crap from recent seasons (Head Cases, Killer Instinct, Stacked, Free Ride, Reunion), a show that never lived up to its promise (Kitchen Confidential) and one of the best comedies TV has ever seen. Ever. Ever.

Sunny Sundays

2006-05-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

With all the announcements of next season's schedules it's easy to forget the broadcast networks will still be up and running this summer (barely). But it's good to know Fox will use some of its valuable airtime to promote cable cousin FX's excellent, but little seen, comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Beginning June 11 Fox will air three episodes of the show's first season on Sundays at 9:30, hoping to expose the show to a few more people before it returns for a second season on FX June 29 (with new cast member Danny DeVito). (And if Family Guy ever hopes to justify its existence on the planet—beyond inspiring a couple kickass episodes of South Park and keeping Fox alive opposite Desperate Housewives—leading people to this show just might be the thing to do it.)

I don't know which episodes will air, and it will be interesting to see if they run completely uncut (the show mines "edgy" topics like racism, abortion and child molestation for genuine laughs), but it's pretty much guaranteed that these reruns will be better than anything Fox will be airing come September.

More on that tomorrow...

and more on Sunny, hopefully, later next month.

Fall Schedules: CBS

2006-05-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

The stable schedule announced today by CBS is worlds apart from what we’ve seen the last two days (full press release here). Four new shows are joining the network’s line-up and only four shows will change timeslots (two of them—How I Met Your Mother and Cold Case—are even staying on the same night). So yes, the C stands for confident.

Good move: The biggest concern for CBS right now is erosion in their current hits, something that may be exacerbated by the same-y feeling of so many of their procedurals. So it’s smart that their new series appear to depart from the CSI formulas but also appear to be good fits with the CBS brand.

And of course the network’s one big move—Without a Trace to Sundays at 10—looks like an excellent call (and gets rid of the unnecessary movie of the week in the process). Even if ABC had left Grey’s Anatomy on the night the appealing, established Trace would’ve been able to make its mark, but with Grey’s out of the picture it’s CBS’ timeslot to lose. Football may win some weeks but Trace should be able to take it on successfully the way CSI: Miami did on Monday nights (and there’s the added benefit that Trace probably won’t even compete with football most weeks on the West coast).

Bad move: Moving an already weakened Amazing Race against Extreme Makeover: Home Edition isn’t encouraging for the globetrotting show’s future but Race should put up some solid demos and contribute to an overall solid lineup.

It’s pretty hard to argue with any of the series CBS ordered, brought back or cancelled. Honestly, we should all be terrified of Les Moonves. First CBS, soon… the world.

I’m looking forward to…: CBS isn’t exactly my network of choice but they’ve actually ordered four pilots I want to see. The Spike Lee-directed, James Woods-starring Shark will have my attention for at least one episode. And I’m very interested in the ensemble heist drama Smith, which brings Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen to television with a solid supporting cast. The comedy pickup The Class may be no better than How I Met Your Mother but I’ll check it out, ditto disaster drama Jericho (except substitute Invasion for HIMYM).

…but not: Even if they don’t become a part of my schedule I honestly want to see all of these pilots (compared to last season when I only watched a few of the comedies and one of the dramas). Seriously, fear Moonves.

What they didn’t pick up: With only four pickups and three more for midseason there were several shows left out. Among the actors you won’t be seeing on CBS this fall (barring last minute tinkering): Tom Cavanagh, Bobby Cannavale, Johnny Galecki, Sara Rue, Jane Krakowski, Oliver Hudson, Teri Polo and Chris Elliott in their own comedies and dramas starring John Leguizamo, Joshua Jackson, Julia Ormond, Blair Underwood, Mena Suvari and Lena Headey (in a female superhero show that I was hoping would be shipped to The CW, but that doesn’t appear to be happening for the moment).

(And recent Lost victim Cynthia Watros was a co-star in the Cavanagh project, so without that she’ll be free for as many island flashbacks as necessary.)

Say goodbye to: Only four rookies (four is a big number for CBS this year): Courting Alex, Out of Practice, Threshold and Love Monkey. Plus outlasted-their-usefulness comedies Still Standing and Yes Dear.

Fall Schedules: ABC

2006-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

That A stands for Ambitious as ABC revealed a fall schedule complete with nine spanking new series (five of them scripted hours), plans for another to share a timeslot with an established hit, and a key timeslot change that will probably be the boldest, best scheduling move by any network this year. (Full press release here.)

Good move: Grey's Anatomy. Thursdays. 9 pm. After speculation for what seemed like the entire season that the network would move its biggest gun to Monday nights, ABC decided instead to stake a claim on arguably TV's most important night (and a night they haven't been a player on for years). Unless CBS does something unexpected it appears that Grey's will face off next season with TV's other most successful scripted hour: CSI. It's possible the competition will cause a dent in ratings for both series, but as previous seasons' Friends/Survior and ER/Without a Trace battles have demonstrated there is room on Thursdays for two massive hits. (This move also puts extra pressure on NBC to move its new series Studio 60 out of the 9 pm Thursday crossfire. If the show wasn't dead in the water before....)

Bad move: In a baffling renewal that echoes the mistake of bringing back John Stamos' Jake in Progress last season ABC will stick with the poorly performing What About Brian on Mondays at 10. The network seems to be taking its time in developing a strategy for post-football-era Monday nights, sticking with modest reality shows and a scripted hour that's already failed to entice viewers. Maybe it was a point of pride, because if ABC had cancelled Brian it would've meant death for every single show introduced this season.

Also, an abundance of new series is going to mean big headaches in marketing and promotion, but considering none of this season's new offerings caught on that move was necessary...ABC needs to start building on its blocks ASAP (or else they become a network whose most popular show is hosted by Howie Mandel).

I’m looking forward to…: ABC has had the best crop of pilots for two seasons running but hopefully this year's batch will be closer to the 2004-05 group than last year's (which were generally better pilots than they were series). I’m really looking forward to checking out all of these but the one I want to see first is Six Degrees which has a strong cast (Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Erika Christensen) and pedigree (producer J.J. Abrams, director Rodrigo Garcia) and gets the plum post-Grey’s slot on Thursday.

…but not: Well I’m looking forward to almost all of ABC’s pilots. I just can’t see Big Day—which follows the events of a single wedding day for an entire season—turning out all that good. In fact one of the more worrisome aspects of most of ABC’s pilots are the "high concepts." There’s a thriller where Taye Diggs wakes up on the same day every episode to try to solve a complex murder case (Day Break, which will occupy Lost's timeslot starting later this year), another conspiracy thriller where two young men are framed as terrorists by a friend (Traveler), a comedy series involving a season long attempt to rob Mick Jagger (Let’s Rob…), a drama following nine strangers united by a bank robbery (The Nine), etc. etc. Maybe it’s about time American television adapted the British model of short seasons and limited runs where these high concepts aren’t stretched beyond their natural lifespans.

What they didn’t pick up: Even with fifteen new series orders there was still quite a bit that ABC rejected, including comedy vehicles for Patricia Heaton, Bonnie Hunt, Kim Cattrall (costarring with Buffy’s Anthony Stewart Head for producer Elton John), Heather Locklear and Alicia Silverstone. Dramas that didn’t make the cut include two more conspiracy thrillers (one with David James Elliott and another with Jesse Bradford) and series with such actors as Dylan McDermott, Kelli Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Bryan Greenberg, Angie Harmon and Peter Facinelli.

Say goodbye to: Almost everything introduced this season including: Invasion, Freddie, Crumbs, The Evidence, Night Stalker, In Justice, Hot Properties, Emily’s Reasons Why Not, the once promising Commander-in-Chief and the too-good-for-network-TV Sons and Daughters. Also Hope & Faith, Rodney, Jake in Progress, Less Than Perfect… pretty much the only thing leaving ABC’s schedule with some dignity is Alias.

They Know What Boys Like?

2006-05-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

There's a lot going on in entertainment right now with summer movies (see Mission: Impossible but not Poseidon), May sweeps with plenty of series and season finales, networks announcing their schedules for next fall, several fantastic new cds in stores, Broadway theater award nominations and the major International film festival just about to start.

But leaving all that alone for the moment I'd like to comment briefly on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" list, which celebrates the most bodacious women in showbiz for a 18-35 year old male audience (read the press release and full list here).

Eva Longoria is #1 on the list for the second year in a row. And good for her. The top ten is filled with even more obvious choices like Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba and Keira Knightley.

And yet browsing the list you learn several interesting things like:

-Nicollette Sheridan (#48) is so much hotter than Brooke Burke (#94), Elisha Cuthbert (#92) and hot cylons Grace Park (#93) and Tricia Helfer (#95)

-Fergie's humps (#36) are significantly hotter than Shakira's hips (#60)

-Mariah Carey (#22) is one of the 25 hottest women around, hotter than Charlize Theron (#25), Mandy Moore (#28), Uma Thurman (#30) and Jaime Pressly (#34)

Uh... say what? And huh?

And as the press release points out:

Notable omissions on this year's list include Britney Spears, new mom Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek.

I can understand a dip in the respective Hottie Stocks of Spears and Holmes, and we'll leave Lopez alone, but what's justifiable about leaving off SALMA HAYEK in favor of choices like Teri Hatcher (#73) and the Hilton sisters (#38 and 62)?

Of course lists like this are ridiculous, but if you're going to do this, do it right.

Fall Schedules: NBC

2006-05-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Television’s most desperate network unveiled a wacky fall schedule that places most of its new offerings in 9 pm "tentpole" slots (full press release here). I’m not sure what the thinking behind letting unproven shows anchor each weeknight is, but NBC has to do something after placing fourth in the ratings for two seasons running.

Good move: Besides putting Fear Factor out of its misery (and finally giving up on Joey and holding off on the tired The Apprentice until midseason), I don’t see much to cheer in NBC’s announcement. One thing they have going for them next season is Sunday Night Football, which is likely to boost their ratings a bit and provide worry-free counter programming to two of TV’s biggest hits (Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, assuming both shows stay put on the night).

Bad move: All these new shows at 9. Why? And putting the heavily hyped Studio 60 (Aaron Sorkin’s TV satire featuring Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet) up against CSI is a risky no-guts-no-glory decision, as is bumping the My Name is Earl/The Office hour to 8 to serve as Studio’s lead-in. Earl and Office are often heralded as NBC’s hottest "hits" (despite the fact they don’t even threaten to hit the top 10) and if momentum is supposed to be on their side moving them around can’t be good. It’s obvious NBC wants to build a two hour block of "buzz TV" on Thursday. I applaud the effort but I wish I could say the same for the execution.

I’m looking forward to…: Studio 60 will get a lot of media attention (but not necessarily viewer interest) for its ballsy swipes at network television—especially when it comes to NBC and Saturday Night Live—but I’ve seen it and I’m not optimistic about where it will go (either creatively or in the ratings).

Since both the high-concept Heroes and half-hour-SNL-satire 30 Rock (yes there are two SNL satires on the same network’s fall schedule…) sound intriguing but could just as easily be disastrous, I’m thinking Kidnapped (with a cast that includes Dana Delany, Jeremy Sisto and Delroy Lindo) could be NBC’s best chance at a fun, successful show. (One problem: there are a lot of conspiracy thrillers in the works for next season and NBC’s won’t be the only one to make it to air, so it better stick out.)

Also, midseason’s Andy Barker, P.I., with Andy Richter playing private detective, just might work.

…but not: Surprisingly, none of NBC’s new series sound unbearable but I’m not sure it’s necessary to bring another seemingly generic sit-com about young people looking for love into the world (unscheduled midseason possibility The Singles Table).

What they didn’t pick up: Not a lot. Several weak sounding comedies (including one starring Jay Mohr) and only one drama (an offbeat hour produced by Conan O’Brien, starring Cary Elwes as a reincarnated corrupt politician).

Say goodbye to: Aforementioned Fear Factor and Joey (you won’t be missed). DOA rookies The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, The Book of Daniel, Conviction, E-Ring, Four Kings, Heist, Inconceivable, Surface, Teachers and Three Wishes. Retiring vets The West Wing and Will & Grace.

S-u-c-c-e-s-s

2006-05-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

It's always disappointing to see a good movie flounder at the box office, especially a movie that you just know audiences would really enjoy if they just knew about it. If they only knew they should see it. Akeelah and the Bee finished a disappointing 8th at the weekend box office, just barely cracking $6 million and posting by far the lowest per screen average of the four new wide releases.

A movie this enjoyable is guaranteed to find an audience somewhere, but I recommend seeing it now, don't just wait for DVD. Get in on it early!

Akeelah's simple inspiring story of an 11 year-old inner city girl who sets her sights on competing in the National Spelling Bee isn't the most original tale ever told (although the spelling bee material does give the familiar underdog-sports-story a fresh spin) and the movie does have its share of cheese. But luckily the film can afford the occasional corny moment because it has so much else going for it, most notably the strong central performance of 12 year-old Keke Palmer.

Writer/director Doug Atchison's script may have a few false moments (Akeelah's siblings feel more like stock types—noble military man, gangbanger, single mom—than real people, and the competitive world of spelling bees feels awfully small once the film gets to the national level) but Palmer's performance never wavers. It would be an extraordinary acting achievement for anyone, let alone someone so young and relatively inexperienced.

Palmer is backed up by a very fine cast including Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett in their first screen pairing since their Oscar-nominated turns in What's Love Got To Do With It (and even if Bassett seems a tad too buff for an inner city mother, her work is still a strong reminder that this actress deserves better, more frequent, work than she gets). There are also several other winning performances from younger actors including Sahara Garey as Akeelah's best friend, Sean Michael as her spelling rival and, most of all, J.R. Villarreal as her...love interest. Villarreal is more of a typical child actor than the effortlessly natural Palmer but fortunately that suits the role, and the two young actors create the kind of genuine chemistry that actors three times their age often struggle to achieve.

The writing and direction are solid, the performances elevate it to another level and Akeelah is ultimately the kind of movie I'd recommend to anyone. That doesn't necessarily make it great but it does mean it's too good to miss.

That's all folks

2006-05-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

So I'm finished with Idol for the season. At least when it comes to writing about it here. I may be finished with watching it too, although I probably will at least sample the performances over the next three weeks. It's not like I didn't expect Paris to be booted this week but now that it actually happened I'm left without a compelling reason to watch.

The show usually sucks me in week after week because I'm curious to see what songs will be selected, who will be good, who will be bad and who ends up going home. But I've also always had a rooting interest in at least one (usually more than one) contestant. (Potentially embarrassing confession: I've voted for all four winners from previous seasons.)

I expect (and frankly hope for) Chris to win. I kinda think Taylor will be with him at the end, but it may be Katharine and either way I don't care. The "best" contestant left, in my opinion, is Elliott but he just doesn't have the all around package that makes for a deserving winner.

The good news is I really expect all of the top five to release albums. I think they're all serious enough, they all have enough fans, and the series-best ratings will help them. Of course if that does happen I only have plans to buy one of them.

It's just too bad that Idol's most watched season has been powered by its least interesting talent yet.

Summer picks

2006-04-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Since we’re a week away from the official start of summer movie season I’ve thrown together a quick top ten list of the movies I’m most looking forward to. I did the same thing last year, and looking back at that now I’m pretty sure I was a lot more excited about last year’s offerings.

The truth is most of this summer’s "biggest" movies leave me shrugging my shoulders. I’ll probably end up seeing expected blockbusters like Superman Returns, The Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Poseidon and The Break-Up but if any of them got stuck in movie limbo and were never released I wouldn’t really care. This year’s slate is also heavy on lackluster looking animated fare (from DreamWorks, Fox, Warner Bros. and even one for film snobs: Richard Linklater’s trippy A Scanner Darkly) and high-concept mainstream comedies (Jack Black as a Mexican wrestler, Owen Wilson as an annoying houseguest, Adam Sandler finding a magical remote control and the aforementioned Vaughaniston extravaganza). Maybe one, or some, of these will surprise me, but I’m not counting on it.

Even two major movies from prestige directors—Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion and Michael Mann’s Miami Vice—aren’t sparking my interest (Altman’s because of mixed early reviews and Mann’s for all sorts of reasons, including the fact he’s one of my least favorite Important directors).

I have, at least, already seen one great movie due for release this summer: a documentary about a crossword puzzle tournament (just screams "grab the popcorn!" doesn’t it?). Wordplay (June 16) is a fun crowd-pleaser in the vein of spelling bee doc Spellbound and should be an arthouse sleeper.

Looking over last year’s list some of my selections turned out to be disappointing (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), bad (Bad News Bears) or excruciating (Wedding Crashers) but there were some surprises (The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Land of the Dead were far better than expected and my favorite summer release, Junebug, was impossible to predict). One movie (Romance & Cigarettes) was never even released and I still haven’t gotten around to another (The Brothers Grimm) which was released, but to terrible reviews.

In other words, who knows how any of these will turn out, but on paper [Pickler sez "huh?"] I’m looking forward to:

10. Cars (June 9)
Ok, frankly I’m not really excited about this one either but of all the animated summer offerings it’s the one I’m most likely to see. And considering I had a similar lack of pre-release enthusiasm for Toy Story and Finding Nemo I’ve learned you write off Pixar at your own peril.

9. Snakes on a Plane (August 18)
I’m not expecting greatness from this, I’m expecting, well, snakes on a plane. Although the Internet hysteria over the movie’s concept has already made it dangerously overhyped it still seems like the perfect late summer movie, and, sadly, one of the season’s most "original" concepts.

8. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (July 14)
I would dismiss this as quickly as the rest of the big dumb-looking summer comedies but this dumb-looking NASCAR spoof reunites Anchorman’s director Adam McKay and leading man Will Ferrell. And even though Anchorman is an incredibly dumb movie it’s also a ridiculously funny one. It also helps that McKay and Ferrell have enlisted a cast that includes John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, David Koechner, Amy Adams, Leslie Bibb, Greg Germann and Jane Lynch.

7. Idlewild (August 25)
The Outkast guys have made a musical. There’s no shortage of potential pitfalls here but it’s interesting for the curiosity factor alone. It helps that there’s a solid supporting cast and it comes from HBO Films. At the very least we’re guaranteed the summer’s best soundtrack.

6. Lady in the Water (July 21)
The pretentious tagline "A Bedtime Story" and the rapidly declining quality of M. Night Shyamalan’s movies don’t do much to inspire confidence but casting Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard in the lead roles (and Jeffrey Wright in key support) makes it instantly intriguing. Plus this is likely to be either Shyamalan’s redemption or his downfall, place your bets now.

5. World Trade Center (August 9)
United 93 is already a critical smash and another 9/11 movie a few months later might be just too much. But this is a different kind of story, Oliver Stone is a master filmmaker (or used to be at least) and Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena, Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal make for a great core cast.

4. Little Miss Sunshine (July 28)/Half Nelson (August 11)
Two movies that built their buzz at Sundance. Sunshine became a big deal when it sold for the most money—partly because its cast includes Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette and, most importantly, Steve Carell—while Nelson caused a smaller stir but puts Ryan Gosling back in cinemas, where he belongs (and throws in promising actor Anthony Mackie as a bonus). It’s a good bet these will best most summer offerings, quality-wise.

3. X-Men: The Last Stand (May 26)
After two movies X-Men is the best comicbook franchise going and even though hacky Brett Ratner is at the helm this time I’m still excited to see what goes down in the third installment.

2. The Science of Sleep (August 18)
This might’ve topped the list if it wasn’t for a few troubling observations in some early reviews. There’s a fine line between quirky-enjoyable and quirky- appalling and director Michel Gondry has been on both sides before (the right side with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the wrong side with Human Nature). Now he’s made a movie without screenwriter Charlie Kaufman but with Gael Garcia Bernal, one of the best international leading men in the business. This is sure to be one of summer’s biggest small movies and I hope it’s one of the best.

1. Mission: Impossible III (May 5)
Yeah I know, Tom Cruise is crazy and I’m not supposed to be excited about this but as far as pure summer popcorn movies go this is the big one for me. I really like both previous Mission films (you’re forgiven if you don’t) and I’m excited to see what JJ Abrams does with his first movie (and whether it can match some of his excellent television work on Lost and Alias). There’s also the best cast ever assembled for a Mission outing. It opens next Friday so we’ll find out fast. Then it’s four long months till fall…

Goodbye Kellie Mae

2006-04-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

I suppose I shouldn’t let the events of this week’s Idol go by without mention. After Tuesday night’s so-so "Great Love Songs" performance show I would’ve demanded two things:

1) That Paris place in the top three after delivering another flawless performance and
2) That Kellie Pickler finally hit the bottom three, especially after back-to-back weeks of outright sucking (which she readily admitted).

So I got half of what I wanted, and it was the more important half. I thought Kellie might get the boot but I didn’t want to be optimistic enough to really believe it. In my mind Elliott was doomed, not because he gave a bad performance (he didn’t, it was clearly one of the three best) but because his song was dull, and he performed too early in the show.

But maybe America was as "moved" by Elliott as Paula was and instead Kellie departed the show in the Carmen Rasmusen/John Stevens/Constantine Maroulis memorial slot of sixth place. Kind of fitting isn’t it? I’ll admit, now that she’s gone, that she was sort of entertaining for her stupid remarks ("I’m a mink!?" "On paper? What’s that?") and if she does have some sort of future in the entertainment business I won’t be too opposed, as long as singing isn’t a major part of it. (The great joke of both of this season’s country contestants is that if they had auditioned for the generally superior Nashville Star I’m positive they would’ve been rejected.)

As for Paris’ placement in the week’s bottom two, there’s nothing much to say other than the obvious: she deserves better. Hopefully she’ll hang on for a couple more weeks and maybe viewers will start to realize that Taylor, kinda like Kellie, isn’t worth keeping around.

But I doubt it.

Who's running the show?

2006-04-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

Big news from two (or maybe two and a half) TV geniuses last week that directly, and indirectly, affect a couple of my TiVo season pass veterans:

The news: Gilmore Girls creator/mastermind Amy Sherman-Palladino won’t be returning to the show next season, and neither will her husband/cohort Daniel Palladino. They walked away from a reported $5 million one-season deal partly because they wanted a two-season deal instead. That was a problem for producer Warner Bros. Television because the cast (including Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel) only have deals in place for one more season. And many people believe that season will be the last.

Why this is bad: Over the past six seasons the Palladinos wrote about 90 of Gilmore’s 131 episodes, and also directed a significant number. There’s no question Amy is the driving force behind the show, and its most celebrated and unique qualities—the rapid-fire, impressively witty dialogue; the complex family relationships; the finely tuned mix of comedy and drama—came directly from her. If Gilmore really is entering its final season (which is a huge if, especially considering it’s sure to be a major player in the launch of the CW next year and the new network will obviously be eager to keep its "hits") it will be downright wrong to not have Amy there to end the show on her terms. Whether we should blame the Palladinos or Warner Bros. for all of this is debatable, but you can read the couple’s side of the story in this lengthy TV Guide interview (warning: there’s a big fat season finale spoiler in the middle of the interview). Also, the newly appointed showrunner, David Rosenthal, is generating some, um, controversy of his own.

Why this is good: The current season hasn’t exactly been one of the Girls’ strongest. Lukewarm (yeah, pun intended) chemistry between the central couples, audience-punishing story developments (Lorelai and Rory’s prolonged estrangement, Luke’s annoying daughter, Logan’s stubborn refusal to die) and a lack of interesting new characters have made the show feel a bit stale when just a year ago it was at a creative zenith. So maybe a fresh perspective will actually help (maybe one that isn’t so intent on torturing key characters with forced obstacles). And while creating something on the level of Gilmore can be difficult to duplicate I wouldn’t put it past the Palladinos to come up with a brilliant new show sometime over the next few seasons (how about a sharp romantic comedy with a well-written ensemble of quirky characters, a la Cheers?).

Bottom line: Enjoy the Palladino-run Gilmore while it lasts (three more episodes, starting tonight). While I think it’s very possible the show will be around for longer than just one more season (depending heavily on how Lauren and Alexis adapt to life without the Palladinos, and how much money they’re offered for season 8) it’s unlikely Gilmore will ever be truly great again—even if Graham has pledged to do her part for quality control. Let's just hope for really good.

Meanwhile...

The news: The man behind Alias, Felicity and Lost—J.J. Abrams—has set the follow up project to his upcoming feature debut, Mission: Impossible III, and the choice is another big franchise project: the 11th film in the Star Trek series. Reportedly it will focus on the early days of characters like Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, detailing how they met and what happened on their first mission.

Why this is good: Following disasterous box office for the tenth film and ratings so miserable they forced Star Trek: Enterprise off the air after four seasons (rather than seven, like all previous Trek spin-offs), it looked like Trek was dead. But [insert warp speed joke here] this deal means the franchise is back in a big way. And a fresh way. Abrams will write the script with Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, who also wrote MI:3 and many episodes of Alias (from seasons one through three). In recent years Trek has been overshadowed in the sci-fi world by the empty hype surrounding Star Wars and the astonishing quality of the Battlestar Galactica revival. But the concept remains a good one and Abrams seems like just the guy to oversee a compelling reinvention.

Why this is bad: Well let’s forget for a moment that Orci & Kurtzman have several questionable writing credits (including The Island, ew!) and focus on Abrams. I’m saying all of this before seeing MI:3 but two things come to mind. First it’s inevitable but still kind of sad that with his bigscreen career heating up there will be less time for him to focus on small screen output. Maybe it’s just perception but J.J.’s shows tend to be better with him around. And as for his feature career I find it a little disappointing that he’s moving from one franchise to another. Maybe it’s smart to build up a track record (and work on mass appeal properties, unlike the cult appeal mistake Joss Whedon made) but it’s still a bit hard to truly make your mark, quality-wise, with the third or eleventh film in a franchise property. Of course it can be done.

Bottom line: We have to face the fact that J.J. has pretty much left TV behind for the time being, and hopefully his output in the film world will turn out to be equally rewarding.

A major TV loss

2006-04-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Scott Brazil died on Monday at the age of 50 from complications relating to Lou Gehrig's disease and lyme disease. I didn't know him (never even met him), so I can only speak about his loss from a creative standpoint, which is significant. Scott Brazil wasn't a huge name, but he was a driving force behind one of television's best shows, The Shield.

Although The Shield is known as the brainchild of Shawn Ryan—who is primarily responsible for the complex story arcs and emphasis on deep characters—Brazil was the one who kept it all moving over the past five seasons as executive producer and showrunner. He directed 11 episodes, including brilliant season finales "Circles," "Dominoes Falling" and "On Tilt," and played an invaluable role in shaping the look and feel that continues to make the show so distinctive. He was spoke of with great esteem and affection by both Ryan and Michael Chiklis when I was fortunate enough to interview each of them (and please check out this fine memorial by TV writer Alan Sepinwall which includes a remembrance from Ryan and a very eloquent response to the post).

It's painful to know that Brazil won't be there for the inevitably incredible ending to a rare show that keeps getting better with age. But his artistic legacy lives on.

We won't always have Paris

2006-04-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Paris! You give one of your best Idol performances yet (second only to, or maybe even tied with, "Midnight Train to Georgia" from the semifinals) and you're rewarded with... the bottom three!

It was no surprise to see Ace leave. He wasn't a total disaster like he was in Queen week and (almost) everyone else was at least decent, so what reason was there to vote for him?

It was also no surprise to see Chris in the bottom three. The change of pace may have made Simon proud but it didn't suit him. He sounded fine but for the first time ever he was completely generic. I don't like Chris but he's usually good at what he does. And sappy is not what he does. (I think it also hurt that he went first and everyone else was consistent, being at the top of the bill may have hurt Paris too.)

And it was no surprise that even though she gave the worst performance BY FAR that embarrassment to humanity Kellie was not in the bottom three. She may be dumb as a brick (do you think she even knows what a brick is?) but she somehow figured out that yes, her performance sucked. And she apologized. And her "fans" (whoever they are, these people scare me) probably thought she was cute as ever.

But HOW does Paris make the bottom three after NAILING Ella Fitzgerald's "These Foolish Things"??? ARE PEOPLE STUPID???

Oh wait, of course they are. Kellie and Taylor are now the only contestants to never make the bottom three. Obviously it's not talent that helps you succeed, it's having a big, slightly annoying, personality and never hiding it. (But, on the bright side, before we just assume these fools will be the final two remember that Smeagol/Constantine never made the bottom three until he was eliminated...)

The fact is it gets really interesting from here out. Logic would say Elliott goes next. All of the other remaining contestants have frequently, legitimately been called possible winners. But he and Paris have both been in the bottom three two times now. And even if they both are bottom three again next week they're going to have to be joined by a "fan favorite." And let's remember it was the round of six that did in Smeagol last season...

It's nice that the season is unpredictable, but it's too bad that's not because there's a lot of worthy performers.

Making the arthouse fun again

2006-04-14T00:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I was going to make a joke about how I like the thinking behind the David Spade/Rob Schneider/Jon Heder vehicle The Benchwarmers because it allows me to avoid one movie instead of three. But then the appalling-looking thing opened almost $20 million. Ew. Enough on that.

Especially because there are some good movies out there. Even though Hollywood hasn't tempted me with much so far this year (I'll make it to Inside Man soon) the festival circuit has provided some interesting, and unusually entertaining, options.

Friends with Money (which premiered at Sundance) is like the opposite of the aforementioned Big Dumb Hollywood Comedy. You could split this one four ways and I'd be just as happy. That's because we get Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener and Frances McDormand as the quartet of principal characters for writer/director Nicole Holofcener, who previously made smart, talky, small indies Walking and Talking and Lovely & Amazing. Other than deciding not to title it "Friends and Money" Holofcener hasn't altered her style much: this is smart, talky and very small.

So small it risks being called slight. And it is. But it's also so well acted and written, with genuinely witty dialogue, that it's silly to dismiss (or miss). All four of the leading ladies are great: Aniston is clearly most comfortable in indie films, Cusack is less wacky than usual (to good effect), Keener is a Holofcener-vet for good reason and McDormand pretty much steals the show. There are some guys in the movie too, providing solid support for the women, most notably: Simon McBurney, Jason Isaacs, Greg Germann, Bob Stephenson and Ty Burrell (and, a little less notably, Scott Caan). But you can tell by the lack of marquee names in that group where the focus is.

Yeah Friends with Money is primarily about four female friends. And relationships. And sex. And money. But, although Holofcener directed some episodes, this isn't really Sex and the City. It's an indie film. If you need to, think of it less as a girly movie and more as a funny movie. That's its strength and that's enough.

Also small, indie and directed by a woman (which is still rare enough to be worth pointing out) is The Notorious Bettie Page from HBO Films and director Mary Harron. Some viewers will be frustrated that this biopic about a 1950s pin-up queen, known for both colorful nude shots and naughty underground light bondage photos, doesn't go further in exploring its subject. But I think it's a refreshing change from standard serious bios.

Bettie Page is simply fun and a big part of that is due to its star, Gretchen Mol. Mol was always easy enough to write off as an actress but she delivers a truly exceptional performance here, she's so endearing it's actually impossible to imagine the movie without her. Utilizing a slight Southern accent and a perfect mix of innocence and self-assurance, Mol is in Reese Witherspoon territory. There's not a false moment. It's the breakthrough performance she's been working towards her whole rocky career. Who knew?

I love it when actors defy preconceived notions, but that's not the only pleasure of Bettie Page. As a filmmaker Harron has a lot of fun with both style and subject matter, creating a love letter to movies of the period. The bulk of the film is in black and white but there are some gorgeous "Technicolor" interludes later on and visual tribute is paid to everything from high school dramas to "instructional" shorts to lush melodramas to film noir.

And even though the film doesn't probe very deeply into the real Bettie Page there's something wonderful about a movie that centers around a lead character who poses nude and is deeply Christian, and she isn't judged for either one.

It's also worth mentioning some of the very entertaining supporting performances, especially from Chris Bauer, Lili Taylor and Jared Harris as a close-knit "family" of pornographers (1950s-style). Above all this movie is a portrait of a bygone era when it was truly possible to be naughty and nice at the same time. In other words, it's the sweetest movie involving light bondage ever made.

Another One Bites the Dust

2006-04-14T00:22:00.000-07:00

So Queen's Idol victim was fat-bottom-lovin' Bucky instead of We-Won't-Rock-You Ace. Even when a mediocre contestant goes home there's still something wrong with the choice. But I'm glad we don't have the performance-inept cowboy to kick around anymore, so I'll leave it at that.

It was certainly a better choice than what we had the last couple weeks. During my absence we lost someone who deserved it (Chicken Little), someone whose elimination was unfortunately inevitable (Lisa) and someone whose elimination still makes no sense at all (I was never a huge Mandisa fan but she was growing on me... and it's completely unfair that country caused her downfall while thoroughly terrible Kellie keeps flying high week after week without even hitting the bottom three; her dumbfounded reaction to Simon's "on paper" comment this week was the absolute end of the line, stupid isn't cute, it's stupid).

Right now there's only one person who I really look forward to each week. Paris really is a little dynamo, her performances since hitting the top 12 have been consistently engaging and entertaining. Her vocals aren't flawless but the roughness only adds to her appeal for me. And unlike the show's most consistent performer (Chris, blah) she never ceases to surprise. When she practically morphed into Tina Turner to rock out to Queen I was truly amazed. And this after a funky fresh "Work It Out" (most entertaining top 12 performance by anyone so far) and a soulful "How Do I Live" (in which she managed to find depth in a shallow song). No one else is worthy of such praise this year but I am very concerned about just how far she'll be able to go.

My other former co-favorites Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee are two different stories. Elliott is still solid, but he never makes a strong enough impression. Are his performances too simple? Are his arrangements too predictable? Is he just a little lacking in star charisma? I'm not sure what it is. I'd definitely rank him second only to Paris in terms of personal appeal but I can't exactly call myself a fan. Still I hope he stays around for several weeks to come.

Katharine, on the other hand, needs to do something great fast. She's always been inconsistent but right now I'm just bored with her. She's the most beautiful girl out there but that's the only thing separating her from the rest of the bland pack. And it's not enough.

I mean, come on!

2006-04-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

I'll try to make up for my prolonged absence shortly but I just want to ask, Ace is going home on Idol tonight, right?

[Joining him in the bottom three: Bucky and... Katharine (or Elliott?), although Taylor deserves it. I really hope Paris isn't there two weeks in a row, but if she is after last night I don't know what she could possibly do to survive.]

Fun links for Friday

2006-03-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

Two links to good, short, easy-reading pieces that are worth checking out:

First, Dave White names ten actors worth knowing for MSNBC. It's a great list, but as with all lists there are a few things worth quibbling with (Rainn Wilson? I'm not doubting his talent but shouldn't he like prove himself in at least a movie first? Sahara didn't really do it for me).

In a happy development one of the names on the list, Lauren Graham, was just cast opposite Steve Carell in the Carell-centric Bruce Almighty sequel Evan Almighty. Possibly the first sequel ever made that I'm really looking forward to even though I never saw the original (and don't much care if I ever do).

Even shorter and more fun is this LA Times piece (free registration required...sorry) about just how old certain actors were when they played teens. But, even though she mentions Olivia Newton-John, the author somehow overlooks the fact that Stockard Channing was 33 (33!) when she played a teen in Grease.

Some movies get bumped for a good reason

2006-03-16T23:19:00.000-08:00

V for Vendetta opens today and there was some early hype that suggested this could be the year's first great movie. But unless you're desperate for political commentary in any form the movie fails to live up to that buzz.

The reviews are generally positive (although a lot of the "better" critics around didn't care for it much), but I found the movie to be a well intentioned bore. It's interesting to see a film that aims to make a statement but the messages here are muddled and so far removed from reality that I'd seriously question anyone eager to draw parallels between the movie's post-WWIII Totalitarian London and our present day existence. That's partly because the filmmakers do such a poor job of showing what it's actually like to live in Vendetta's fictional world—all we really learn is that it's not wise to go out alone at night, it's still tough to be gay and TV has gotten really really bad.

The hero is a generic comicbook creation who happens to be a political terrorist, but that's not enough to make him interesting. Natalie Portman is actually very good as the female lead (and the movie's "name"—good luck drawing crowds on that) but her character is so limited that it doesn't much matter. There's really no visual style to speak of, which is fairly surprising considering how involved the Wachowski Brothers were with this, and despite the action-heavy trailers the film's explosions and fight scenes are kept to a bare minimum. Marketing this movie to teenage boys is a serious mistake (even if the opening is big the second weekend will be brutal), but I'm not even sure what other audience they could possibly go for.

I'm not very well schooled in Alan Moore's graphic novels (I've only read the excellent The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) but just as with From Hell, also adapted from one of Moore's works, I have little doubt that the film doesn't do the source material justice.

V for Vendetta isn't a terrible movie but it's not really worth your moviegoing time either. Honestly if you want truly provocative, and relevant, political commentary wrapped up in a fancy genre package I've got some DVDs for you to check out.

American Idiots

2006-03-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

It was no surprise that Melissa left last night on Idol, she's seen this coming since the first performance week when she wisely called out the producers for her lack of screen time during the important audience-relationship-building audition episodes. She didn't deserve to go so soon but she didn't deserve to be around forever either, so at least she can be happy the judges praised her final performance on the show (Simon called it her best yet) and she's now the best singer ever to be eliminated first in the Idol finals.

What was shocking, of course, was who was in the bottom three with her. I couldn't even properly enjoy Ace's bottom three standing because I knew he was in no way worse than Kevin and Kellie, who both miraculously (or deviously?) escaped the bottom three.

And standing next to Ace and Melissa was Lisa, one of the best singers in the top 12. She tried to change up her style, going for a faster song, and she did well but maybe now she'll run back to the ballads.

It's possible that Lisa doesn't stand out enough, or that her fans are also likely to be fans of Mandisa or Paris or Katharine and were busy voting for one or all of those three instead. It's just too bad that some of the contestants who do stand out more than Lisa, do so because they're weak singers with big personalities, or just plain bad.

Maybe it's worth remembering that Kinnik and Gedeon were both much better than some of the top 12, but I guess America needs its "variety"...

Pecking order

2006-03-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

American Idol's top 12 took the stage last night and although it's still shocking to me that freaky Gedeon was not among the finalists last night did very little to change my opinions on anyone.

So before they start getting eliminated for real, here's how I would kick them out, one-by-one, if I was the only person who got to vote...

Week One
Kevin Covais, dubbed "Chicken Little" by the sadistic producers and his masochistic "fans," is so clearly out of his depth that it's actually insulting he's even in the top 12. The way he's taken to playing up his I'm-a-geek-but-now-it's-ironic-because-I'm-on-TV persona does him no favors. Would anyone seriously buy an album by this kid as anything but a gag gift? I'm not convinced he'll go tonight but there's no one who deserves it more.

Week Two
Ace Young is supposed to be the "good looking one" but is it weird that I find him more than a little creepy? He's not slimy like Constantine or a living Muppet like Guarini but it's no surprise that those are the two past Idols he's most compared to. Let's face it, it's never gonna get better than that George Michael song he did a month ago... I say cut him off as early as possible.

Week Three
Kellie Pickler is coasting purely on her Beverly Hillbilly personality (golly, you big city folks and your fancy indoor plumbing!!). Maybe more people will realize this after her completely disasterous performance last night. I would allow her to torture the viewing public for three weeks, but if I was really in charge she never would've made top 12.

Week Four
Bucky Covington seems more genuine to me than Kellie and he's never really awful, but he's never really good either. Simon's comments about finding guys like Bucky in bars all over America are pretty spot-on. (He's a prime contender to leave tonight.)

Week Five
Melissa McGhee is an underdog and I kind of like her. But she's no star and no great singer. Someone's gotta go every week... (back in the real world, she could even go tonight.)

Week Six
By this point I'm a little sick of Taylor Hicks' spastic dance moves and boring song choices. The audience starts to turn against me...

Week Seven
In the first flat-out shocker Chris Daughtry, who represents everything bland and bad about modern rock radio (not even music, radio), exits the competition. He cries a lot. I smile.

Week Eight
Mandisa is eliminated. America is outraged. I explain that although she is talented and likable there's still something missing. Don't ask me what it is, I still don't know.

And now I cheat. The four remaning contestants—Paris Bennett, Katharine McPhee, Lisa Tucker and Elliott Yamin—are my favorites, and I still can't decide which of them I like best. They've all had good weeks and bad, all have endearing personalities and none seem likely to actually win (but they're the only four I could see myself voting for). Alphabetical order is as good as any (and frankly represents where I'm actually leaning as of last night) but I'd want to see how each of them does or doesn't grow through the competition.

But I know that back in the real world I won't get that chance... damn you Chris!!

Darkness and Light

2006-03-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

My plan yesterday was to post about how The Hills Have Eyes is the first wide release movie of 2006 that I've seen and enjoyed. If "enjoyed" is the right word for the story of a family stranded in the desert who become prey for a band of mutant cannibals. This is brutal stuff, and not for anyone who doesn't have a taste for those kinds of things, but it's also very good for what it is: tense, gritty, psychologically disturbing and even a little bit smart. This is horror that hits you where it hurts (the version I saw was an early "NC-17" cut, although from what I've read the theatrical "R-rated" version is shocking enough).

The ensemble cast is quite good: stalwarts Ted Levine and Kathleen Quinlan are the parents, Eyes Wide Shut's Vinessa Shaw and Lost's Emilie de Ravin are the pretty blonde daughters and cast standouts Aaron Stanford and Dan Byrd are the young men of the family. The film is also a big step up for director Alexandre Aja, who showed a lot of style, but not much smarts, with last year's High Tension. Yet I understand how watching a nice Middle American family get torn limb from limb before the survivors take their grisly revenge is not everyone's idea of an enjoyable night at the movies.

So I'm glad that last night I caught Dave Chappelle's Block Party (good call Justin!), the best film I've seen of this young year and something I can recommend to just about anyone. I know it's something I'll remember at year's end.

I wouldn't have expected much from this (possibly because I'm one of the country's only twentysomethings who has never seen an episode of Chappelle's insanely popular Comedy Central show) but in retrospect I have no idea why. I know Chappelle is funny, I love (or really like) many of the musical artists who perform and the director is Michel Gondry (of 2004's best movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Block Party is pure joy, a documentary/comedy/concert film hybrid that is so unrelentingly positive I have a hard time believing anyone could walk away from this movie unimpressed.

About a year and a half ago Chappelle decided to throw a giant block party in Brooklyn. He invited some of the best hip-hop/neo-soul acts around (Kanye West, The Roots, Mos Def, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and even a reunited Fugees) and bused in residents of his Dayton, Ohio community to mix with New Yorkers. The result is truly something to behold.

The music is electrifying: whether it's West tearing into "Jesus Walks" with a high school marching band from Ohio or the awe-inspiring Scott joining Badu and The Roots on "You Got Me" or Def mixing it up with Common and Talib Kweli for several tracks, the result is a powerful sensation of unfiltered bliss. (There's so much more to hip-hop than a film like Hustle & Flow allows for.)

I wanted a little more from some of those performances (some songs are cut off too soon or interrupted) but all of the material is so good—Chappelle's comedy, the "real people" interviews and the music—that it really doesn't matter where the film strays. And I have a feeling we'll be able to see more of everything on the DVD, a format where I think this movie will transform from pretty great to simply classic.

Aftermath

2006-03-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

The reactions to Oscar's folly keep pouring in.

Be sure to check out this amazing commentary by Steve Lopez from the LA Times, which directly challenges the Worst Best Picture Ever from a Los Angeles perspective and Dateline Hollywood's very amusing explanation of why this happened (third graph from the end is comedy gold, and Haggis was asking for it on the Brecht reference in his speech).

Then, if you must, check out the commentary of a pompous jackass in the Chicago Sun Times.

Roger Ebert has been extremely annoying this entire award season but he reached a new low with this, and I had to respond. So posted below is the e-mail I sent him in response to his column:

Re: The Fury of the 'Crash'-lash

Roger,

Your insistence on spinning information in order to justify the Oscar debacle is as shameful as it is embarrassing.

In your article, which primarily attacks Kenneth Turan and Nikki Finke, you state that "What is intriguing about these writers is that they never mention the other three best picture nominees: "Capote," "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Munich.""

Did you even read Turan's article? If so you must have missed this:
" "Brokeback," it is worth noting, was in some ways the tamest of the discomforting films available to Oscar voters in various categories. Steven Spielberg's "Munich"; the Palestinian Territories' "Paradise Now," one of the best foreign language nominees; and the documentary nominee "Darwin's Nightmare" offered scenarios that truly shook up people's normal ways of seeing the world. None of them won a thing."

And Finke's article, which was published before the Oscar travesty and seems especially prescient now, includes this passage:
"It’s not that Crash isn’t Oscar-worthy and Brokeback is. Both are good, if flawed, movies."

Acknowledging Finke's personal opinion would have given your readers a better idea of where she was actually coming from in this debate, but unfortunately it doesn't support your viewpoint that critics and entertainment media just won't leave poor Crash alone. Or recognize it for the genius, Dickensian work that it apparently is.

As a critic you are, of course, entitled to your opinion and the general public is entitled to agree or disagree. But if you're really trying to figure out why so many Brokeback Mountain fans are so upset with the Crash victory maybe you should consider, and maybe even inform your readers, of the amount of "Best Picture" awards that Brokeback Mountain won prior to Oscar night:

BAFTA
Golden Globes
Independent Spirit Awards
Venice Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
New York Film Critics Circle
Broadcast Film Critics Association
Golden Satellite
Critics groups from: Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Florida, Iowa, Las Vegas, London, St. Louis, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S., Utah and Vancouver

Brokeback also won "Best Picture" equivalents from the Directors Guild and Producers Guild and won Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writers Guild. It also received the highest ranking of any Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice and Film Comment critics polls AND made more money at the U.S. box office than any other nominee.

In comparison Crash won top awards from the Actors and Editors Guilds. It won the original screenplay prize from the Writers Guild. It was voted Best Picture by the Chicago Film Critics and won the NAACP Image Award. Not a bad showing but not even in the same universe as Brokeback when it comes to awards and acclaim.

Crash also failed to receive a Golden Globe nomination as Best Drama (nominations went to far more artistically successful films like A History of Violence and The Constant Gardener) and it was nominated as "Best First Feature," rather than "Best Feature," by the Independent Spirit Awards (even though Tommy Lee Jones' debut film, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, was nominated as "Best Feature").

I admire you for standing up for the minority opinion on this sad and shocking moment in Oscar history but I wish you wouldn't pretend to be so clueless about why so many people are outraged.

You're smarter than that.

Best,
Geoff Berkshire

Los Angeles, California

Lackluster

2006-03-09T10:30:00.001-08:00

This is starting to look like the worst season yet for American Idol, at least for me. My favorites are turning out to be highly uneven and the other presumptive frontrunners either don't interest me or fail to impress.

This week was marked by another disappointing performance from Paris (the "Conga" song selection was embarrassing, and although I still like her this worries me more than her attempt to "stretch" with a poorly chosen ballad last week) and the first disappointing performance by Elliott (the only guy I truly like). At least the judges loved him, I'm worried he may not even make the top 12.

Katharine was probably the highlight of the women this week, she confirmed her Kelly Clarkson-esque aspirations by daring to take on an Aretha standard (although by doing so she proved she's good, but not Kelly good). And for the first time since her audition I really loved Lisa's performance, even if the judges were thoroughly unimpressed. The way that Kellie continually gets a pass from the judges is starting to drive me crazy ("cute" does not overcome mediocre singing) and I have yet to be "wow"-ed by Mandisa, but I guess I'm almost alone in that.

On the guys' side only Gedeon was worth watching, but he's a little too bizarre offstage (what exactly was that clip package about? a painting involving the world and a record?? and he was so serious about it...creepy).

I've pretty much resigned myself to Chris winning this whole thing. He's the only one with clear "talent" who is consistent every week. Mandisa may put up a good fight, and if it actually comes down to the two of them I suppose she could win. But either way I wouldn't care much.

It's hard to predict exactly who will leave tonight but I'm guessing Melissa (who doesn't deserve it) and Ayla (who does) from the ladies and Kevin and Will (both deserving) from the guys (I would celebrate the elimination of either Bucky or Ace, but I expect them both to be safe for now).

I think Kinnik saved herself by showing some personality and picking a very safe Alicia Keys song (the same song that saved Vonzell when she needed it early on), but I'd expect her to be in the bottom three. Though the underwhelmed reactions that Paris and Lisa received from the judges could be dangerous.

Anyway after tonight we'll have a top 12 and I'll weigh in further next week.

No spoilers, but...

2006-03-08T01:24:00.000-08:00

I just have to say: 24 is fearless.

For a TV show, a network TV show no less, to be this good in its fifth season is insane.

The Season's Best (Network) TV Pilot Finally Arrives

2006-03-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

If Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm had a baby it would be Sons & Daughters, which premieres on ABC tonight at 9 with back-to-back episodes (fits great into the post-Idol, pre-Race viewing schedule, right?).

This nutty, complex half-hour comedy blends the sharp improv style of Curb with the dysfunctional family appeal and smart running gags of Arrested. This wasn't a great season for new shows on network television but this first episode would be among the best in any season.

Whether the show stays good after the first episode I can't say, but I'm optimistic. I'm not as optimistic about its chances of survival. This is hardly broad comedy for the masses and the large amount of characters, lack of recognizable stars (lead Fred Goss was also on Bravo's acclaimed but short lived Significant Others, and yes that's Dee Wallace, the mom from E.T., as the matriarch of the extended family, but no one here is a known commodity) and ABC's uneven marketing campaign won't help.

If Arrested Development couldn't make it despite Fox's patience it's hard to imagine this show doing any better on a "bigger" network. But I'm glad ABC is giving it a shot, and given the network's embarrassing line-up of comedies right now (their highest rated comedy of the season was the offbeat, but never good enough, Crumbs, which isn't even on the schedule anymore) maybe something good will come of this odd little experiment.

I hope to enjoy it while it lasts.

The Morning After

2006-03-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Now that some of the blinding rage has subsided (some, not all), I realized I made a big, embarrassing mistake in my post of outrage: Million Dollar Baby didn't lose a script Oscar to Lord of the Rings, it lost a script Oscar to Sideways, which is fine and as it should be. Mystic River lost to Lord of the Rings, but we'll let that go...

Since the world hasn't actually ended I'll go ahead and mention a few things I liked about this year's Oscars:

1) Reese Witherspoon's speech (and George Clooney's wasn't so bad either)
2) The honorary Oscar segment, with a fantastic presentation by Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin and a rather inspiring speech from Robert Altman
3) The mock political attack ads for the Best Actress and Best Sound Editing categories; cheeky, brilliant
4) Jon Stewart's presence throughout the show; his opening monologue was weak (and I did miss Chris Rock) but Stewart improved as the show went on, which was vital for a ceremony short on surprises or otherwise riveting moments; that said I have a feeling it'll be back to Crystal or Martin next year, one of them will probably be willing to give it another go

And I think that's about it. Not a really great production (literally, what was up with all the sound flubs?), but even if it had been a great show the ending would've ruined everything.

Kenneth Turan has his say on Oscar's folly, it's a great read.

What is there to say?

2006-03-05T23:19:00.000-08:00

I've been disappointed in the past (like when Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare in Love), I've been prepared for disappointment (like when Jack Nicholson beat Peter Fonda, or Traffic and Crouching Tiger both lost to Gladiator), I've been slightly appalled by surprise choices (like when Adrien Brody beat Jack Nicholson, or Paul Haggis' Million Dollar Baby script lost to Lord of the freakin' Rings) but I've never been AS DISGUSTED as when I heard Jack Nicholson announce Crash as the Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 2005.

Best Picture. Crash.

As someone who likes movies, loves movies, really cares about movies, I am dumbfounded by such blatant stupidity. Such cluelessness. Such utter disregard for movies as an art.

To single out such mediocrity in what was a pretty damn good year for filmmaking (and for Oscar nominations) is beyond absurd. It's pathetic.

And here's the thing. Mediocre is the key word when it comes to this "Best" Picture. I don't consider Crash to be a terrible film. I don't think it's an abomination. It has some good qualities and it's impossible to say it's not well intentioned. I understand why people like it.

But liking it is completely different from calling it the best film of the year, or choosing it as the best film when your other choices are Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck and Munich. That is what I simply can not wrap my head around, and never will.

There are a lot of people (and organizations) to fault for this ridiculous victory. But I'm confident about how this will play in the record books. A "controversial" choice at best, an all-time Oscar low point at the worst.

As I mentioned in my predictions post, Brokeback Mountain has won the top awards from BAFTA, the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, the Golden Globes, the Venice Film Festival and the Broadcast, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S. and Vancouver critics groups. It has the highest ranking among Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice critics poll and the Film Comment critics poll and it's the highest grossing nominee as well.

Add to that list Brokeback's victory over the weekend at the Independent Spirit Awards (where Crash was relegated to Best First Feature, not allowed to play with the big boys, although it could've been nominated as Best Feature if it had the support: Tommy Lee Jones' debut film The Three Burials of Melqiuades Estrada was nominated in the Best Feature category this year). And throw in critics groups from Florida, Iowa and St. Louis that I neglected to mention (probably others as well).

So yes, it will look like a mistake. It already does. But let's not kid ourselves, the Best Picture Oscar is the big one. It's the one award that Brokeback deserved more than anything else. For it to have lost to a good film would be unfortunate, for it to have lost to a film that didn't even deserve a nomination is...disgusting.

I never hated Crash.

I do now.

Oscar predictions 2006

2006-03-03T00:24:00.000-08:00

And here we go... lots of predictions this year for "unpredictable" things happening. The nominees were much easier to forecast than Oscarwatchers were expecting and I think the winners will be to. Honestly I hope so, because in most cases the frontrunners will make for a very nice winners' circle.

Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain; Capote; Crash; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Munich

Brokeback Mountain has won the top awards from BAFTA, the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, the Golden Globes, the Venice Film Festival and the Broadcast, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Southeastern U.S. and Vancouver critics groups. It has the highest ranking among Best Picture nominees on both the Village Voice critics poll and the Film Comment critics poll and it's the highest grossing nominee as well. It's not just a great movie, it's a great zeitgeist movie. That's what Oscar really loves. Even in such a great year for nominees anything else winning would be a mistake for the record books.

Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman; Terrence Howard; Heath Ledger; Joaquin Phoenix; David Strathairn

Hoffman is the actor's actor. Generally unrecognized by award groups until his work in Capote he's been on a tear all year, and it won't end here.

Best Actress
Judi Dench; Felicity Huffman; Keira Knightley; Charlize Theron; Reese Witherspoon

Possibly the only category with a "superstar" winner: was there anyone Witherspoon didn't charm with the best country music film performance since Sissy Spacek 25 years ago?

Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney; Matt Dillon; Paul Giamatti; Jake Gyllenhaal; William Hurt

The one where no one knows anything. But Clooney is the golden boy of the moment, with good reason. (My nagging doubt: when actors prove themselves as filmmakers they usually don't win an Oscar for acting.)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams; Catherine Keener; Frances McDormand; Rachel Weisz; Michelle Williams

The name that keeps going through my head is Marisa Tomei, who pulled off a shocker of a win 13 years ago that many people credit to video screeners. If enough people watch Junebug then the same thing might happen for Adams. But I fear the movie is too small, and The Constant Gardener is too well liked, and Weisz becomes the latest actress nobody thought would win an Oscar to win an Oscar.

Best Director
George Clooney; Paul Haggis; Ang Lee; Bennett Miller; Steven Spielberg

Lee. A master filmmaker winning an Oscar for one of his best films doesn't happen very often. Enjoy it.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain; Capote; The Constant Gardener; A History of Violence; Munich

I hope Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana have a good speech ready when Brokeback wins.

Best Original Screenplay
Crash; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Match Point; The Squid and the Whale; Syriana

Crash has had a lock on this for months, unfortunately.

Best Animated Film
Howl's Moving Castle; Tim Burton's Corpse Bride; Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Wallace & Gromit has to be one of the night's surest locks.

Best Documentary
Darwin's Nightmare; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; March of the Penguins; Murderball; Street Fight

I wouldn't consider those mega-grossing Penguins locks, but I think they'll, uh, march off with the win anyway...

Best Foreign Language Film
Don't Tell (Italy); Joyeux Noel (France); Paradise Now (Palestine); Sophie Scholl-The Final Days (Germany); Tsotsi (South Africa)

I was wrong with this at the Globes but I'm sticking by Tsotsi for the Oscar (South Africa's first after two consecutive nominations).

Best Original Song
"In the Deep" (Crash); "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" (Hustle & Flow); "Travelin' Thru" (Transamerica)

I'm actually looking forward to the performances for once but I feel incredibly uncertain about who will win. Dolly Parton (who wrote Travelin') is the respected vet, but things haven't been going so well for vets lately in this category. Pimp is showcased the best in its film, it's undeniably catchy and voters have already embraced rap with Eminem's win three years ago. But Bird York has been promoting her song like crazy and Crash is nominated for Best Picture. I want Dolly to get her Oscar (imagine how great her speech would be!) but I think In the Deep takes it.

Best Cinematography
Batman Begins; Brokeback Mountain; Good Night, and Good Luck.; Memoirs of a Geisha; The New World

Memoirs of a Geisha won at BAFTA and the Cinematographers' Guild but the whole Oscar body votes on this and I think it'll be Brokeback's one tech win.

Best Editing
Cinderella Man; The Constant Gardener; Crash; Munich; Walk the Line

Crash. :(

Best Original Score
Brokeback Mountain; The Constant Gardener; Memoirs of a Geisha; Munich; Pride & Prejudice

John Williams has two nominations this year and has won five times in the past. I think he'll win again for Geisha (but that Brokeback score is awfully catchy...).

Best Visual Effects
The Chronicles of Narnia; King Kong; War of the Worlds

King Kong

Best Art Direction
Good Night, and Good Luck.; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; Pride & Prejudice

Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Costume Design
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Memoirs of a Geisha; Mrs. Henderson Presents; Pride & Prejudice; Walk the Line

Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Sound
The Chronicles of Narnia; King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; Walk the Line; War of the Worlds

Walk the Line

Best Sound Editing
King Kong; Memoirs of a Geisha; War of the Worlds

King Kong

Best Makeup
The Chronicles of Narnia; Cinderella Man; Star Wars: Episode III

Cinderella Man

According to my predictions Brokeback Mountain will win four awards and Crash and Memoirs of a Geisha will win three. King Kong and Walk the Line take two.

What a weird year.

The (Not So) Alternative Oscars

2006-03-02T23:59:00.000-08:00

One of the most interesting things about the Independent Spirit Awards is just how long it takes to get from nominees to winners. Here are my ridiculously quick, thoughtless and utterly unreliable predictions on who'll win at that show that happens the day before the Oscars...

John Cassavetes Award (for ultra low budget feature): Room (although Brick has the highest profile)
Truer Than Fiction Award: Occupation: Dreamland
Producers Award: Caroline Baron
Best Foreign Film: Paradise Now (the category's Oscar nominee)
Best Cinematography: Good Night, and Good Luck. (the category's Oscar nominee)
Best Documentary: Grizzly Man (not the Oscar nominee, that would be Enron, but a popular choice nonetheless)
Best First Screenplay: Junebug (if there's any justice...although Me and You and Everyone We Know would be a smart choice too, but Transamerica would not)
Best First Feature: Crash (ew)
Best Screenplay: The Squid and the Whale
Best Supporting Female: Amy Adams (I hope, but Michelle Williams has just as good a shot)
Best Supporting Male: Matt Dillon (sadly)
Best Female Lead: Felicity Huffman
Best Male Lead: Philip Seymour Hoffman (but if Terrence Howard's gonna upset anywhere it would be here, right?)
Best Director: Ang Lee
Best Feature: Brokeback Mountain

Oh those crazy judges

2006-03-02T23:48:00.000-08:00

I'm glad the Idol contestants who I thought would leave are all gone now but the really interesting thing tonight was, of course, Paula. What the HELL was going on?!?

This show is never gonna end.

Songs Sung Blah

2006-03-02T16:29:00.000-08:00

There’s something about these semi-final shows that inspires the American Idol contestants to become zombies—singing songs no one really wants to hear and looking a lot less impressive than they should considering they’re performing for 30 million-plus viewers. I have no idea what that something is but it was in full effect this week.

The girls were more of a mess than they were last week, if it wasn’t for Melissa’s energetic rendition of Reba McEntire’s "Why Haven’t I Heard From You" the show would’ve had no highlight at all. There’s no question that Katharine, Lisa and Paris are talented but they were all painfully dull this week (especially Katharine). I’d pick Melissa, Mandisa and Kinnik to join them in the top twelve but Kinnik is looking desperate (Gretchen Wilson!?) and either the thoroughly-mediocre-but-gee-ain’t-she-cute? Kellie Pickler or the overachieving Tracy Flick-esque Ayla Brown will wind up in the top 12 instead (odds are on Kellie). I’m still waiting for Mandisa to blow me away, but maybe she’s saving the good stuff for the finals?

Anyway my bets for those saying goodbye are Heather "shoot her now" Cox, who thought it was a good idea to sing Mariah Carey’s "Hero" and Brenna Gethers, who is sassy and all but is really out of her depth. (Again I think Kinnik is in trouble, and going country may have lost it for her, and I suppose people could be too bored with Katharine to care but she should be safe—she just needs to pull out all the stops next week.)

And then, over in Special Ed, the boys were really hurting (my ears and my soul). After Taylor demonstrated how quickly his whole weird Southern I-just-love-music-and-Ray-Charles! vibe can grow tiresome (especially when his vocals suck and his song choice is embarrassing— Easy? oh please), Elliott showed everyone what actual talent sounds like (but what exactly is this guy’s niche? and how on earth can anyone market it?). Then we had to suffer through eight other performers I’d be perfectly happy never seeing again. On the plus side, Gedeon probably secured himself a slot in the top 12 with a reasonably pleasant performance (but why has this show never found a great contemporary sounding African-American male?). And yes Chris knows how to perfectly imitate the worst of modern rock radio. If people like this crap as much as record companies believe they do he’ll go far. It’s just white noise to me.

Watching the other guys is really about waiting to see just how lame they’ll be. The lamest of the lame last night was David Radford, the "crooner," who seemed like he desperately wanted to be anywhere else but on stage. And "Sway" was also uncomfortable and awkward, though it was obvious he at least wanted to do better. Hopefully they’re both finished as of tonight, but it’s not like Ace, Will, Kevin or Bucky actually deserve to stay. Unfortunately that's who we're stuck with, for now...

The Go! Teams

2006-02-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Amazing Race returns to CBS tonight with a two hour premiere and the only thing I can say about it, without spoiling anything, is that it's back to the same old Race that fans know and love.

After a tragic experiment with teams of four for the "family edition," which took place primarily in North America, the show is back to its classic teams-of-two-traveling-all-over-the-world format. And for its ninth edition the Race has loaded up on Big Personality teams including likely fan favorites BJ & Tyler ("the hippies") and Lori & Dave ("the nerd lovers"). There's also the token eye candy (Dani & Danielle, "the double Ds"), the token old folks (Fran & Barry), the token gay team (Scott & John, best friends but not partners), the token couple of color (Ray & Yolanda), the token older ladies (slightly obnoxious sisters Joni & Lisa) and the token overbearing, ultra-competitive husband (Southern dentist Lake, whose wife, Michelle, was also his dental assistant). My favorite team, at least for the first episode, was the mother/daughter team of Wanda & Desiree, but there are a few teams here who might be worth rooting for.

I won't say who they are, but neither the first place nor the last place team tonight is very surprising. But it's fun to see the show back in its proper form and in position to reclaim its title as TV's Best Reality Show.

I'm one! (And four days)

2006-02-23T16:36:00.000-08:00

With my lack of recent postings I completely missed the first anniversary of this blog. But yes, on February 19 my Untitled Blog Project turned one.

Aw, so cute.

Here's my first post.

Seriously, presents aren't necessary. Instead, my gifts to you below... a BAFTA awards reaction and the return of American Idol-related blatherings.

Don't say I'm not good to my (two) readers!

Idolwild

2006-02-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

So yeah American Idol is back on the air but I've ignored it here so far because the show didn't really start until this week (you know, when they opened up those phone lines...).

Simon Cowell has already gone on record that this year's top 24 is a little lacking in "amazing singers." Apparently the judges/producers were hoping to emphasize quirky "characters" over "talented singers" this year. Fair enough, since Idol is above all an entertainment show and it's never really produced more than two or three really interesting performers per season anyway. But what's really notable about this year's top 24 is how many of them truly suck.

The top 12 girls were first up in front of America, on Tuesday, and one by one they took the stage... and choked. Only Paris Bennett, Lisa Tucker and Katharine McPhee delivered cringe-free performances (although Melissa McGhee and Kinnik Sky weren’t that bad). Paris, in fact, was quite spectacular. Based on audition footage I had preferred Lisa but Paris’ vocals on "Midnight Train to Georgia" really shocked me (she wasn’t squeaky at all) and she’s a natural born performer (cue second-coming-of-Fantasia references). It’s performers like her who make the show worth watching.

Two girls go home tonight and I’d bet on "classically-trained" but painfully shy Stevie Scott and the truly awful Heather Cox as the two to go. Although the aforementioned Kinnik is probably in trouble as well (even though she was better than most) and Becky O’Donohue needs to hope her status as hottest-girl-on-the-show (boosted by recently resurfaced Maxim photos) buys her another week, because her terrible vocals won’t.

While the girls were pretty lackluster the guys were downright special (as in the Special Olympics). Elliott Yamin appears to be the one true standout, although oddball contestant Taylor Hicks has a decent voice (and unforgettable performance style), Chris Daughtry did the mainstream rock thing credibly and the ludicrously named Ace Young played to his strengths (with a George Michael song ), but he should really cut out that creepy vacant male model posturing. The show already has Ryan Seacrest.

It seems ridiculously obvious that first-to-perform-and-instantly-forgettable Patrick Hall will leave the group tonight but who will join him? Bobby Bennett and Kevin Covais could be saved by the "Vote for the Worst" crowd (and, in Kevin’s case, viewers over the age of 90 with bad hearing, to paraphrase Simon). Gedeon McKinney is also hopelessly bland and could join Patrick on the way out. Basically anyone besides Elliot, Taylor or Chris could go and it would be fine, which only becomes truly terrifying when you realize six of these guys will make the top 12.

The British Have Spoken

2006-02-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

This is a little late, but just for the record, the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award ceremony took place on Sunday, and was broadcast in the U.S. on BBC America. Even though not many Americans are even aware of their existence, the BAFTAs are a pretty fun event to watch. It's a lot more relaxed than many award shows (and it's British—who'd have thought?) and the longtime host, Stephen Fry, is witty and ironic in the best way. They even play rock/pop music when the presenters take the stage (yes that's The Chemical Brothers or The Killers or The White Stripes you hear when Patrick Stewart or Pierce Brosnan or Kristin Scott-Thomas appear on stage after an appropriately amusing introduction from Fry).

Winners in the big categories were:
Best Picture - Brokeback Mountain
Best Director - Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Best Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Best Actress - Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
Best Supporting Actor - Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
Best Supporting Actress - Thandie Newton (Crash)

Pretty much how it's expected to go at the Oscars, except in those supporting categories where Gyllenhaal pulled an "upset" (BAFTA showered George Clooney with more nominations than anyone else this year—that's saying a lot—but his noms for both Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck in the supporting actor category probably hurt his chance for a win) and Newton, who isn't Oscar-nominated, surprised as well (Oscar frontrunner Rachel Weisz, who is British, was up for lead actress at the BAFTAs for The Constant Gardener). It's the first ever major award win for either of them (although Gyllenhaal was recognized by the National Board of Review earlier in the season and Newton was part of Crash's ensemble cast win at SAG).

Other winners included:
Best Adapted Screenplay - Brokeback Mountain
Best Original Screenplay - Crash
Best Cinematography - Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Costume Design - Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Editing - The Constant Gardener
Best Make-up/Hairstyling - The Chronicles of Narnia
Best Original Score - Memoirs of a Geisha
Best Production Design - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Best Sound - Walk the Line
Best Special Effects - King Kong

All of these winners are nominated in the corresponding Oscar categories as well (and none of them were shown on the BBC America broadcast).

In awards specific to the BAFTAs, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit won for Best British Film (over the likes of Constant Gardener and Pride & Prejudice, ha ha) and Pride & Prejudice director Joe Wright won an award for Most Promising Newcomer.

The show's most disturbing win was James McAvoy's triumph over Gael Garcia Bernal, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams and Michelle Williams for the inaugural general-public-selected Rising Star Award. No disrespect to McAvoy (who was perfectly charming as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia) but he was up against four of the best "Rising Star" candidates possible. I guess that's what playing a faun does for you.

Even the BAFTAs' career-achievement award was more interesting than the usual rote tribute, thanks to a very moving speech from the honoree, producer David Puttnam, that included praise for the films of 2005 and an extended reference to The Sixth Sense. You kinda had to see it to get it...

More Oscar (and how'd I do?)

2006-01-31T17:05:00.000-08:00

I don't have many more reactions to add, it was pretty easy to take in and react to this morning. Instead I'll offer a few random tidbits:

Last year that all five Best Picture nominees also received Best Director nominations: 1981 (Warren Beatty's Reds, Hugh Hudson's Chariots of Fire, Louis Malle's Atlantic City, Mark Rydell's On Golden Pond and Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark; Beatty won for director, Chariots won picture)

Number of years running the Best Picture nominees match the Directors Guild of America nominations: 4

Last year my favorite film of the year was nominated for Best Picture: 2001 (Traffic)

Last year my favorite film of the year won Best Picture: 2000 (American Beauty) (Go Brokeback!)

Last year four films on my top ten were nominated for Best Picture: 2005 (last year - The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways; this year - Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night, and Good Luck., Munich; and the fifth nominee in both years, Ray and Crash, was nowhere near my list)

Percentage of nominations I correctly predicted: 78%

Percentage of final nominees I correctly predicted or listed as an alternate: 85%

Percentage of correct predictions in the top six categories: 87% (90% with alternates)

Here's how I did, category by category:

Best Picture

I got four out of five: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash and Good Night, and Good Luck. The fifth nominee, Munich, was an alternate pick. My incorrect prediction was Walk the Line.

Best Director

Also four out of five: George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck.), Paul Haggis (Crash), Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain), Bennett Miller (Capote). My alternate pick, Steven Spielberg (Munich), trumped my prediction David Cronenberg (A History of Violence).

Best Actor

Direct hit: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain), Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck.)

Best Actress

Four out of five: Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents), Felicity Huffman (Transamerica), Charlize Theron (North Country), Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line). And I was happy to be wrong because it meant my alternate pick Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice) was nominated instead of Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha).

Best Supporting Actor

Four out of five: George Clooney (Syriana), Matt Dillon (Crash), Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man), Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). My "daring" prediction of Terrence Howard (Crash) is replaced on the actual list with the closest thing to main category surprise: William Hurt (A History of Violence).

Best Supporting Actress

Five for five: Amy Adams (Junebug) (yay!), Catherine Keener (Capote), Frances McDormand (North Country), Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener), Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Five for five: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, The Constant Gardener, A History of Violence, Munich

Best Original Screenplay

Five for five: Crash, Good Night, and Good Luck., Match Point, The Squid and the Whale, Syriana

Best Animated Film

I'm very happy to get this one right! Three for three: Howl's Moving Castle, Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Best Foreign Language Film

A surprising four out of five: Joyeux Noel (France), Paradise Now (Palestine), Sophie Scholl-The Final Days (Germany), Tsotsi (South Africa). I predicted Hungary's Holocaust-related Fateless instead of actual nominee, Italy's Don't Tell.

Best Documentary (Feature Length)

Three out of five: Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room, March of the Penguins, Murderball. I missed Darwin's Nightmare and Street Fight.

Best Art Direction

Three out of five: Good Night, and Good Luck., King Kong, Memoirs of a Geisha. I incorrectly said Brokeback Mountain and Walk the Line instead of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (a real surprise to me) and Pride & Prejudice.

Best Cinematography

Three out of five: Brokeback Mountain, Good Night, and Good Luck., Memoirs of a Geisha. I incorrectly said The Constant Gardener and King Kong. I mentioned actual nominees Batman Begins and The New World, but not as alternates.

Best Costume Design

Four out of five: Memoirs of a Geisha, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Pride & Prejudice, Walk the Line. I went with a wild card pick, Casanova, but the Oscars went with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Best Editing

Three out of five: Capote, The Constant Gardener, Crash. I said Brokeback and Good Night, Oscar said Cinderella Man and The Constant Gardener.

Best Makeup

Two out of three: The Chronicles of Narnia, Cinderella Man. In my eagerness to predict a near shut out of Star Wars: Episode III I selected it as an alternate and incorrectly said The New World would get a nom instead.

Best Original Score

Four out of five: Brokeback Mountain, Memoirs of a Geisha, Munich, Pride & Prejudice. I'm a little surprised that Cinderella Man missed out but it did, and The Constant Gardener got in.

Best Original Song

Two out of three: "In the Deep" (Crash), "Travelin' Thru" (Transamerica). With five picks (no one knew for sure how many would be nominated in this category) I should've nailed this. But I predicted "Hustle & Flow" from Hustle & Flow would be nominated. Right movie, wrong song. Instead it was "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." This is probably the first year in a long time, maybe ever, when all the original song nominees are from films that are also nominated in an acting category.

Best Sound

Three out of five: King Kong, Memoirs of a Geisha, Walk the Line. I said Batman Begins and Munich but instead both of my alternate picks made the cut (the lion's roar of Chronicles of Narnia and the alien invasion of War of the Worlds).

Best Sound Editing
Two out of three: King Kong, War of the Worlds. I said Chronicles of Narnia but the rather inexplicable reality was Memoirs of Geisha.

Best Visual Effects

Two out of three: King Kong, War of the Worlds. Star Wars: Episode III got the smackdown (voters must have taken the "too busy" criticism seriously). The mediocre effects of Chronicles of Narnia, an alternate pick, made the cut instead.

Oscar morning

2006-01-31T05:59:00.000-08:00

The nominations are... not very surprising. What seemed like a wide-open year has led to a very straightforward list of nominees. Best Picture and Best Director even matched 5 for 5, not a common occurrence.

That helped with my predictions, and the few major ones I missed I'm mostly glad I did. It's great to see Keira Knightley up for best actress and Munich up for best picture rather than my predictions of Zhang Ziyi and Walk the Line. And I went into the nominations hoping for a few serious noms for A History of Violence. I would've preferred my prediction of David Cronenberg for best director but I shouldn't complain about William Hurt's mildly surprising nom for best supporting actor (and can't really complain at all about Steven Spielberg's director nom "instead" of Cronenberg). It really is too bad voters couldn't support both Amy Adams and Maria Bello in supporting actress but I'm extremely happy Adams got in (seriously, now's the time, rent Junebug).

A quick look at the rest of the noms makes me think I did pretty well (even in foreign film, for a change) but I'll tally it up later.

Quick reactions to a few other categories:

It's GREAT that the animated film nominees are Howl's Moving Castle, Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride and Wallace & Gromit; just as they should be. Way to go animation committee!

I'm surprised the documentary committee actually nominated Darwin's Nightmare, a film with a very strong, important message that is very difficult to watch.

I'm not TOO surprised that the Original Song committee limited their selections to three. They had the option to nominate nothing. I'm strongly backing Dolly Parton here but I think Hustle & Flow might take it (and I feel stupid having predicted the other song from the movie instead of the more obvious choice, the movie's centerpiece: It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp).

I really like seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire nominated in the art direction category. I expected the Oscars to entirely overlook the fourth film in the series, but instead it's the first art direction nominee since the original Potter film (and gives it the same amount of nominations as the more tech-award hyped Star Wars: Episode III).

About the only category Brokeback Mountain unexpectedly missed in was editing, a category usually representative of the best picture nominees. Fellow picture nominee Good Night, and Good Luck. is sitting it out too, in favor of Cinderella Man (editors love boxers) and The Constant Gardener.

Now it's back to bed, zzzzzz...

Razzie surprise

2006-01-30T23:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a real award season shocker: The Island and Stealth were snubbed by the Razzies!

Two of this summer's biggest disasters, the movies that cemented the great "box office slump" of 2005, combined for a grand total of ZERO Razzie noms. (If you don't know, the Razzies proudly dishonor the worst in film every year.) How Stealth missed out as a Worst Screenplay finalist and both films were snubbed in the Worst Director category is beyond me.

What's so strange about this is that huge Hollywood disasters are usually exactly the kind of movies the Razzies shower with nominations. But this year the voters (anyone willing to shell out cash for a membership) picked on some of the smaller atrocities like Son of the Mask (which got the most nominations, 8, including one for Mrs. Henderson Presents Oscar contender Bob Hoskins), Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and Jenny McCarthy's blink-and-you-missed-it vanity project Dirty Love. Also passed over were big contenders like Elektra, Aeon Flux and Herbie: Fully Loaded.

The Razzies did get in a few typically absurd noms (sure Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were an insufferable tabloid target all year long but neither deserved "worst" performance consideration for their work in War of the Worlds and Batman Begins; Cruise was especially strong) but for the most part their targets (Tara Reid, Rob Schneider, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba, Hayden Christensen, etc.) are hard to argue with.

It may seem harsh to put Will Ferrell up for Worst Actor but that's what he deserves if he can't say no to crap like Bewitched and Kicking and Screaming. (On the other hand why pick on The Rock for Doom? The movie blew but at least it blew a little less when he was on screen.)

I'm proud to say I haven't seen a lot of the nominees but I did have the misfortune of viewing Bewitched, Into the Blue and Alone in the Dark and wholeheartedly agree with all of their nominations.

You gotta love the Razzies. After all if it wasn't for them what else would Uwe Boll aspire to?

Oscar Nominee Predictions 2005

2006-01-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

I've been doing this since 1998 and I can't say I've gotten any better. It's not a science, but it's fun.

For those of you who are new (or otherwise have no idea what this is about) I list predictions for nominees in every Oscar category except the shorts. I give myself two, and only two, alternate selections that represent what I think will be in place if one of my actual predictions is wrong. I'm usually about 70% right on straight-up predictions, closer to 80% when alternates are included. At my best I'm in the 90% and over range with the top six categories.

These are only predictions. They are not reflective of what I WANT to be nominated (in many cases I'll be angry/annoyed/disappointed when/if some of these things ARE nominated). [For a look at what I'd nominate click here.]

That's the deal, take it for what it's worth. Tuesday morning we'll get the real list.

Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Walk the Line

Alternates: The Constant Gardener; Munich

This is what I've been thinking since the guilds weighed in with their choices. No reason to change my mind now.

Best Director
George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck.)
David Cronenberg (A History of Violence)
Paul Haggis (Crash)
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Bennett Miller (Capote)

Alternates: Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener); Steven Spielberg (Munich)

The only other serious contender is James Mangold for Walk the Line. Anyone else would be a bit of a surprise at this point. Spielberg was DGA nominated but he also received guild, but not Oscar, noms for Amistad and Empire of the Sun and the reaction to Munich has been closer to those than any of his other Oscar contenders. Cronenberg has been getting buzz almost all year long as the overdue arty pick, I hope it happens. And Meirelles is looking for his second nom on his second film after surprising pretty much everyone with his nomination for City of God two years ago. Haggis and Miller would be Oscar nominated for directorial debuts.

Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)
Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line)
David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck.)

Alternates: Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man); Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener)

Tough, tough category. Some think Strathairn could be this year's Paul Giamatti (snubbed because he's not "flashy" enough, but I think playing a real person will help him) and Howard is still an underdog. Fiennes, with no Globe or SAG attention for his work, would be the real upset.

Best Actress
Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents)
Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Charlize Theron (North Country)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha)

Alternates: Joan Allen (The Upside of Anger); Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice)

Joan Allen is becoming a popular prediction despite her lack of prior nominations this season. It's a bit hard for me to believe in a nomination for Zhang but she surprised me with Globe and SAG noms. I'm waiting for a real surprise here. Maybe Laura Linney from The Squid and the Whale (even though it's a supporting performance) or Maria Bello bumped up from supporting for A History of Violence?

Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney (Syriana)
Matt Dillon (Crash)
Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
Terrence Howard (Crash)

Alternates: Don Cheadle (Crash); Bob Hoskins (Mrs. Henderson Presents)

Picking Howard here might be foolish, Cheadle could easily be up for his second straight nom instead. This category is also ripe for a left-field pick like Frank Langella from Good Night, and Good Luck., someone from A History of Violence or another player from Syriana.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Junebug)
Catherine Keener (Capote)
Frances McDormand (North Country)
Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

Alternates: Maria Bello (A History of Violence); Shirley MacLaine (In Her Shoes)

Before SAG I didn't even think a nomination for Adams was possible. I really hope Oscar voters watched Junebug. Since they need the support of Oscar's indie-friendly voters I fear that Adams and Bello can't both make it in, so I'm going with the more endearing performance (plus Bello has been undeservedly snubbed in the past). Speaking of the previously snubbed, I don't expect Scarlett Johansson to actually get in here. This time that's a good thing.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Munich

Alternates: Pride & Prejudice; Walk the Line

Munich is controversial and History of Violence could be overlooked completely but will writers think nominating Walk the Line is worth it?

Best Original Screenplay
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Match Point
The Squid and the Whale
Syriana

Alternates: Cinderella Man; Hustle & Flow

Syriana didn't campaign in this category (the studio didn't know Oscar officials had classified the script as original, not adapted, until right before voting closed), so it may miss out. But here's hoping Woody Allen's overrated Match Point script misses instead.

Best Animated Film
Howl's Moving Castle
Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Alternates: Chicken Little; Madagascar

It's doubtful the three best animated films of the year actually will be nominated but will the usually taste-challenged animated film voters opt for Disney (Chicken Little, which came out later) or DreamWorks (Madagascar, the highest grossing animated film of the year) and who will they pass over (Burton or Miyazaki)?

Best Foreign Language Film
Fateless (Hungary)
Joyeux Noel (France)
Paradise Now (Palestine)
Sophie Scholl-The Final Days (Germany)
Tsotsi (South Africa)

Alternates: C.R.A.Z.Y. (Canada); Two Sons of Francisco (Brazil)

I did well in this category one year...

Best Documentary (Feature Length)
The Boys of Baraka
Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room
March of the Penguins
Murderball
Unknown White Male

Alternates: The Devil and Daniel Johnston; Mad Hot Ballroom

This always seems easier than it actually is. The list of possibilities isn't very long but there's always an oddball choice (or two, or three).

Best Art Direction
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night, and Good Luck.
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha
Walk the Line

Alternates: Cinderella Man; The New World

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a popular pick too but I don't know where to put it.

Best Cinematography
Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
Good Night, and Good Luck.
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha

Alternates: March of the Penguins; Munich

Batman Begins was also nominated by the cinematographers' guild and if The New World is getting any Oscar noms it might be here.

Best Costume Design
Casanova
Memoirs of a Geisha
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Pride & Prejudice
Walk the Line

Alternates: Brokeback Mountain; The Producers

Best Editing
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
The Constant Gardener
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck.

Alternates: March of the Penguins; Munich

And it might be foolish to ignore Walk the Line...

Best Makeup
The Chronicles of Narnia
Cinderella Man
The New World

Alternates: Mrs. Henderson Presents; Star Wars: Episode III

Best Original Score
Brokeback Mountain
Cinderella Man
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Pride & Prejudice

Alternates: King Kong; March of the Penguins

Best Original Song
"Hustle & Flow" (Hustle & Flow)
"In the Deep" (Crash)
"The Remains of the Day" (Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride)
"Same in Any Language" (Elizabethtown)
"Travelin' Thru" (Transamerica)

Alternates: "Mad Hot Ballroom" (Mad Hot Ballroom); "There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway" (The Producers)

Last year voters went a little foreign, so "Dicholo" from The Constant Gardener is a possibility if that happens this year. The only other key contender I can see is "Can't Take It In" from Chronicles of Narnia. It's the first time we actually have a list of "eligible" songs, so predicting this should be a little easier than normal.

Best Sound
Batman Begins
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Walk the Line

Alternates: The Chronicles of Narnia; War of the Worlds

The one everybody waits for...

Best Sound Editing
The Chronicles of Narnia
King Kong
War of the Worlds

Alternates: Star Wars: Episode III; Walk the Line

Best Visual Effects
King Kong
Star Wars: Episode III
War of the Worlds

Alternates: The Chronicles of Narnia; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire